(THE REAL!) Not Another Emerson
by Dulinneth
Summary: It's been about three years since Max had the boys lure in the Emerson boys while he pulled in Lucy and a lot has happened since then. Max and Lucy have married, Michael and Star are full vampires, Lucy a half for Max's sake and to a point everyone including Max's boys get along. Of course, it can't all be that simple. Especially not with another Emerson coming to join them.
1. WARNING AND DISCLAIMER

THIS STORY WAS STOLEN AND THIS IS THE TRUE VERSION OF IT! FROM THE ACTUAL AUTHOR!

Hello! I'm Dulinneth and as you might know there was a story here up until earlier today by the same name "written" by DepartedLies. That was stolen and literally copy and pasted from my original work Not Another Emerson from Archive of Our Own. I've reported DepartedLies, told them to take it down and now I am posting the real version here. For those of you who have read the stolen work please know that I never gave DepartedLies permission to post on my behalf, use my story and certainly not for them to claim it as their own.

If you would like a link to the Archive one here it is –

/works/7910467/chapters/18072862

As you can see it is the same thing and Departed Lies copy and pasted the story and claimed it as their own and thought they were being smart by changing the main character's name by simply removing the R from Faer in order to get Fae. I also looked at their publication date for "their" story. It was published on by DepartedLies Feb 1, 2017. Mine was published Aug 30, 2017 a full SIX MONTHS before this ever showed up.

Now I am going to post the true version and I am going to post all of the chapters I have published on the Archive up to this point. And to show even further that I am the author of this story, I am going to post the latest chapter here a day before I post it on the Archive.

So please enjoy the true story and please leave comments! I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you so much!

*DISCLAIMER; I own nothing of the Lost Boys apart from Faer and this timeline that is based after the events of the First Lost Boys Movie. Thanks!


	2. Synopsis

It's been about three years since Max had the boys lure in the Emerson boys while he pulled in Lucy and a lot has happened since then. Max and Lucy have married, Michael and Star are full vampires, Lucy a half for Max's sake and to a point everyone including Max's boys get along. Of course, that is hugely in part to Lucy interfering when she can to cut down on the verbal arguments. However even though she tries to quell it, David and Max continuously get after each other and David is on thin ice. Perhaps the addition of a new member to the family can help quell it some.  
The only survivor of a car accident that killed both her parents (Lucy's sister), Faer is in need of someone to take care of her for a bit while she heals. Luckily she kept Lucy's number on her in case something happened. Maybe she'll fall prey to the boys' games, or maybe she'll play back and surprise them all. One thing's for sure though, David is not happy that they're about to get another Emerson.


	3. I'm Sorry To Tell You This But

Not Another Emerson by Dulinneth

It was hard sometimes for Lucy Emerson to wake with the setting sun and prepare for the mostly everlasting night that had become her life. Sometimes it was hard to look at the dark sky and not think about the warm sun that she had once enjoyed basking in, or tending to her garden in. It was hard sometimes to pour the donated blood into her nightly meals, as she absolutely refused to kill yet and finish her transformation if only for the sake of Sam and Laddie. Being a vampire, even a half like herself period sometimes, was hard.

Of course, not all of it was so saddening. She loved Max who was her mate. He was good to her and he treated her on a level far more gentlemanly and kind than her previous husband had ever done. He took her out on a date at least once a week, he listened to her without fail, he calmed her fears and he was more than willing to accept her sons as his own. Lucy couldn't have asked for more in a man like Max and considering that he was willing to let Sam reach his eighteenth birthday before he turned him only made her love him more. So she could stand the few moments in the sun she snatched here and there before she retreated from it in favor of the never ending night that her life had become, because all those important to her were still close.

"Lucy?"

"Yes Max?"

"Telephone dear." Looking over her shoulder at the kitchen door, Lucy stared at it confused. She had already talked to her father for the night and she didn't have anyone else who would call. Michael and his mate Star lived in the basement with Laddie and Sam was upstairs doing his homework. The boys never called, they just showed up which by the rumble of the motorcycles in the distance showed the truth in that statement. So, who was calling?

"Uh…did they say who it was?" she asked as she flipped the pancakes that she had cooking on the griddle at the moment. Her family may not have all met eye to eye but they all enjoyed her cooking, so it was something she took great pleasure in.

"It's a doctor from the New York Hospital Emergency Department."

"WHAT?!" Dropping the spatula she held in her hand, Lucy rushed towards the phone and all but ripped it from Max's hand in her haste. "Hello? This is Lucy Herrman. Yes. Yes I know a Faerdhinen Winters. Is everything alright? What?! How bad is she? Was there anyone else with her? Oh no! That's horrible! Can I speak to her? Yes, thank you."

As Lucy spoke on the phone, several things happened at once. Just as they usually did once the scent of her cooking began to waft around the house, everyone started to appear. Michael, Star and Laddie came up from the basement, while Sam came from upstairs and just as the rumbling of the motorcycles approaching the house became their loudest then died, the front door opened and Max's boys walked in in their usual style. Max had thankfully had the forethought to take up her place in the kitchen so the pancakes she had been cooking didn't burn and leave an unpleasant scent in the house but that didn't seem to matter at the moment, because everyone paused when they saw Lucy on the phone in the hallway instead of the kitchen.

"Faer?! Is that you honey? Are you ok? Yes. Yes I spoke with the doctor. He told me. Honey I'm so sorry. How are you feeling?" As Lucy spoke with Faer on the phone, she ignored the questioning looks before she felt Max enter her mind.

'My dear, what's happened? Why is a hospital in New York calling you?'

'Max, I…'

"Faer is on the phone?!" asked Sam interrupting the silent conversation without knowing it.

"Who's Faer?" asked Paul as he leaned against the wall and ruffled Laddie's hair when the now ten year old boy made his way to Dwayne.

"Faer is our cousin." said Michael now concerned as he listened to Lucy ask her if she was okay for the moment.

"Yeah. Faer is so awesome! We write to each other every month!" said Sam before his smile faded a bit. "But we don't get to see her very much. Mom's sister got lucky and married a wealthy man. After that it was like our side of the family didn't exist. However, when she had Faer, she decided it would be beneficial for her and Michael to get to know each other just in case something happened in the future."

"See. While Aunt Helen didn't like us because of what we represented. Aunt Helen's husband's family didn't like her because of what she represented. So Aunt Helen decided it would be wise for us to know each other even if just barely in case something happened to them and Faer's father's family refused to help."

"Yeah. I think the last time we saw her was six years ago though."

As Sam spoke about his cousin, the others listened while Lucy and Max continued their silent conversation. It was obvious Lucy was worried for her niece and after finding out that her parents had unfortunately been killed in a car accident, Max decided that extending their family once more wouldn't hurt. After all, having another female around couldn't hurt. Could it?

'Lucy dear. Ask to speak with her doctor again and see if she's well enough to travel. If she is, we'll get her on the first bus here.'

'Max! Are you sure? I don't want to burden you.'

'Lucy have you learned nothing by now? The girl is family and alone where she is. Besides, another female around the house couldn't hurt. Don't you think?' Lucy smiled slightly while she nodded her head before she asked Faer to pass the phone to her doctor once more. A few more minutes passed and more words were exchanged before Lucy hung up the phone and Max joined her in the hallway, his arm coming around her shoulders in a comforting manner.

"Mom, what happened? Why was Faer at the hospital?" asked Sam having caught snippets of what his mother had said on the phone.

"Michael, Sam. I'm afraid I have bad news. Your Aunt Helen, Uncle Tom and cousin Faer were in a car crash earlier today. The accident killed your aunt and uncle immediately and left Faer with a broken arm and fractured ribs." Michael and Sam were shocked. Their aunt and uncle were dead? They may not have been close to them, but news such as that was something no one wished on another, even though they were part of a family that regularly killed people just to live.

"What's going to happen to Faer?" asked Michael. He had missed most of the conversation while explaining who Faer was to Max's boys and he was worried. He knew his cousin and he knew that while she had her strong points, being strong on her own was not one of them. With her parents dead, she was alone now. Sam hadn't been kidding when he had said that Uncle Tom's side of the family didn't like Aunt Helen and Faer. They had made it abundantly clear over the years that they wanted nothing to do with the family of three and Michael didn't want Faer to grieve alone. "She doesn't have anyone now but us." he said looking at his mom wondering if she had realized that already or not.

"Well, that's the news for those of you who weren't listening in. I spoke with Max and we both think it would be best if she came here for the time being. She's a little shaken from everything that's occurred but her doctor said that if her observation goes well tonight, then he can arrange for someone to take her to the bus station in the morning."

"Great. So we're getting another member to the happy family huh?" said David as he watched the others with his normal cool stare. "Just what we need. As if we weren't large enough."

"David!" scolded Max as he leveled his oldest with a glare.

"You're putting us in danger DAD!" retorted David back. "You almost got us killed when you decided to bring the Emersons into the "family". Now you want to bring another? That's eleven people! That's way too big of a coven in one city!"

"Are you trying to tell me you're ready to leave then David?" asked Max with a chilling grin on his face. "Are you saying you're ready to "fly the coop"? Then go if you want! But you'll be going by yourself! I'm not ready to let your brothers leave the nest yet but you, I'll be more than pleased to send off. So if you want to leave, then leave. If not, then keep your mouth shut!" Glaring, the two stared each other down before David huffed and turned towards the door. He had had enough of the "family" for one night.

"We're leaving." he said heading towards his bike while the others followed behind him.

"Dwayne!" cried Laddie, grasping his jacket tightly. Since he had been made to move into the house so he could attend school and have a firmer hand in his raising, Laddie hadn't been able to see his favorite person as much as he wanted. The boys only stopped by every couple nights and normally David got into it with Max or Marko and Paul did something to piss him off and they got kicked out for the night, so he didn't get to see Dwayne as much as he wanted.

"I have to go Laddie." said the Native American looking man as he gave Laddie an apologetic smile. He wanted to spend time with the boy as well but he had to follow David. Not only was it because David was his "leader" after Max, but he and David had known each other for a century now. Their mutual trust and respect of each other went far and he couldn't jeopardize it by staying behind when Max was actually being a leader. If he did, then he was essentially abandoning David for Max's rule and that wouldn't do. Giving the boy another apologetic glance, he started to walk towards the door when he paused.

"Dwayne." called Lucy as she stared at him quietly with a soft smile. "If you want to take Laddie for the weekend, you can. He's doing well in school so there's no reason you two can't spend some time together. I'm sure you two have a lot to catch up on." Not letting anything cross his face, Dwayne simply nodded at his "mother" before he grabbed Laddie's jacket off the rack and took the boy's hand in his, heading out the door without a second thought. There were still several pairs of Laddie's clothing back at the cave so he didn't need to grab anything and hurriedly getting onto his bike with Laddie behind him, Dwayne revved his engine before he pulled out after David with Marko and Paul behind him.

He may not have liked the fact that the Emersons had joined them, but Lucy was a fair "mother". It was one of the only reasons he was able to put up with the fact that Laddie was living with Max and Star and being forced to go to school when he should have been sleeping due to the vampiric blood. In fact, if Max had tried to take Laddie without Lucy being here, then he was sure he would have gotten himself close to banished as well like David.

"Do you think Faer will be like the Emersons?" asked Laddie after he and the boys had returned to the cave for the night.

"I sure as hell hope not." grumbled Marko as he sat petting one of his pigeons.

"Agreed." chimed the others.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"When's Faer going to get here?" asked Laddie bored as he sat at the dinner table doing his homework. It was Monday night and school as usual had been daunting for the young halfling. That was why Lucy sat with him during his homework so she could help explain whatever it was he had missed during a lesson while trying to stay awake.

At first, the school hadn't been too happy that Laddie had made an unconscious habit of falling asleep in school just about every day, but once it had been explained to the teachers that he had "chronic fatigue" the school quickly jumped to accommodate him. He would nap during his morning recess in the nurses' office and then during his afternoon recess he would either go and play outside with the others, or if he felt extra tired that day, he would take a second nap. The system seemed to work well and Laddie only fell asleep in school maybe once a week now. Those were the days when he would take two naps instead of one.

"Well Laddie. I'm glad you asked. If everything goes as planned. She should be getting into the bus station in two hours." said Lucy with a small smile as she helped him finish up his spelling worksheet before they packed everything into his bag. Laddie was excited for Faer even if he wasn't too sure he would like her yet. He didn't get to play with too many people outside of his family when he wasn't in school due to the family secret.

"Woohoo!" cried Laddie as he jumped up and started to run around. His eagerness for their new member was only heightened when he heard the familiar roar of motorcycles coming towards the house. Guess the boys wanted to see her too. "Dwayne!" he yelled running outside. "Two hours! She'll be here in two hours!"

"Mom?" asked Sam as he came around the corner and into the kitchen. "Is there anything else we need to set up?" Sam was actually just as eager as Laddie was for Faer to arrive. He remembered his cousin from the last time he had seen her six years ago and through the letters they had exchanged monthly, it didn't seem she had changed much. She was quiet and kept to herself while indulging in her hobbies and for Sam who lived in a house that constantly seemed to be filled with one argument here and another there, it was something he could use more of.

To be honest, he was happy he had another person to indulge in some of his hobbies with now. The Frog Brothers had been weary after the "incident" but he had managed to win them back after several attempts. Of course, a large part of that just happened to be because of one of the few times his new "brothers" had actually done something nice for him.

At first, Edgar and Alan had refused to talk to him let alone look at him, even when he saw them in school or walked around the Boardwalk during the day. Their dismissal of him quickly showed when he grew quiet and recluse in a household of people who knew that Sam tried his best to diffuse situations or act as peacekeeper. He was always trying to start a conversation to distract them from their latest quarrel and when he just stopped and kept himself holed up in his room, they actually became concerned and tried to find the root of the problem. Needless to say, when they had found what, the boys had tricked the Frog Brother's mother into letting them into the house. With the main vampires of Santa Carla able to enter their house, the Frogs had quickly agreed to leave their coven alone and at least give Sam another try in exchange for the boys never stepping into their house or comic shop again.

The second chance had worked and Sam regularly saw his friends, but even still, the Frog's and Sam only had so many common factors that they shared. Sam had tried to introduce them to some of his other likes and the Frog's had done the same, there were a few they had found they could enjoy but not many, so for Sam, Faer was a good substitute. She had after all been the one to introduce him to comics and they regularly chatted about their other nerdy likes even though she was twenty four and he was sixteen.

Shaking his head as he came out of his thoughts, Sam watched as everyone else appeared in the house before Max called them all to the living room. Thankfully when Max and Lucy had decided to buy a new house they had made sure that not only was it far away from town, but that it was also large enough for their family of ten. The plan had originally been for everyone to move in, but the boys had set their foots down instantly and flat out told Max, "Hell No". They enjoyed their freedom that the cave provided for them and they weren't about to give it up.

"Alright, now I know some of you know already, but I'll say it again so we're all on the same page." began Max. "Faer's bus will arrive in two hours' time."

"Whoopie." drawled David lazily while the boys chuckled. Max of course sent him a glare before he shook his head and turned away.

"Mom? What all do we need to do still?" asked Sam, trying to change the subject before Max and David got into it, again.

"Well, I've already made up one of the guest rooms for her, but I forgot some items at the store. Star, if I gave you a list, could you and Michael go fetch them please?" asked Lucy.

"Yes." said Star.

"Thank you dear." Lucy loved that Star and her got along so well. After the abuse Star's parents had put her through before she had ultimately run to Santa Carla, Lucy was kind of a fresh start for her. She was the mother that she never had and in return, she was the daughter that Lucy never had. Now with Faer joining them, Lucy would have two daughters so to speak.

"What can I do?" asked Laddie eagerly.

"Hm. Why don't you go make her a get well card? I'm sure she'd love that. And Dwayne can help you with your writing."

"Ok! Come on Dwayne!" Pulling the quiet vampire behind him, the two disappeared down into the basement where they had set up a little area for him to play.

"Sam, you're going to come with your mother and I to pick her up. Go grab your coat, we'll leave in a bit." said Max as he took over the conversation.

"Ok." Sam was happy to go with them to pick up Faer knowing that even if he hadn't been it was better to obey than to argue with Max unlike David and the boys. The man could be extremely severe when it came to punishments and chores. Thankfully, he only had to worry so much as he wasn't a vampire and couldn't physically take most of the punishments he dished out. Yet. "Michael, Star. Why don't you go to the store and fetch the items Lucy asks you for."

"Yes sir." Standing, the two of them followed Lucy into the kitchen, knowing exactly what Max was doing. He wanted to speak to his Lost Boys before Faer arrived and they were all too happy to leave him to that, glad that it wasn't them he was focusing on.

"What is it Max? Want us to stay away?" asked Paul as he, Marko and David all looked at him from their positions along the wall where they were leaning. They hated when he singled them out from the others. Sometimes, they kind of felt like they had to be on guard in case Max decided he would rather be rid of them so he could continue on with his "new family".

"Normally I would say yes. But Lucy has asked that I keep you included in things such as this. She says it's not fair to treat you as the hoodlums you are and that you all deserve a chance. To be honest, part of what she said scared me." said Max with a little bit of humility in his voice.

"What's this? Max is being whipped into shape by his bride?" inquired David with a large smirk before Max stormed up to him and gripped his throat.

"You make me so mad David. Sometimes, I wish I would have just left you where I found you."

"And where would the fun be in that?" Growling, Max let David go and walked towards the kitchen.

"Faer is off limits do you hear me?! You are not to intimidate her or harass her in any way. And if you come over here, I expect you all to be on your best behavior. Understood?!"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Tell Dwayne."

"At your command." When he was gone, David glowered at the doorway. So this Faer girl was off limits huh? Oh well, he'd just have to see about that.


	4. So You're The New Girl

"Faer? Oh sweety, here let me help you." said Lucy as she helped Faer off of the bus. Due to her injuries, she was the last one to leave the bus and making sure they were at the door to help support her, Lucy, Max and Sam all greeted her before they got her settled into the car and began the forty five minute drive across town and back to their house. Normally, it shouldn't have taken so long, but since they had such a secret to protect, Max and Lucy had decided to buy a large house secluded from Santa Carla in order to accommodate their new family. It wasn't too much farther than Max's old house had been, but they couldn't see the town from where they were currently.

The drive was mostly silent, Lucy fretting about Faer and trying to get her to say something when Sam decided that enough was enough and informed his mother that Faer was completely out.

"I think she took some pain pills mom." he said when her head tilted back and her mouth opened slightly. The sight normally would have been funny under different circumstances, but considering she was there after certain events, it was anything but.

"I hope the ride didn't cause her too much pain." said Lucy as she concentrated on the road. They were almost home and it was nearing one in the morning. The fact that she wasn't the least bit tired didn't surprise her anymore. She had become mostly a night owl in order to accommodate her new family, getting up in the morning only long enough to get Sam and Laddie off to school and run a few chores before she returned to Max's side and went back to sleep.

"Don't worry dear. I'm sure she's fine. We'll get her to bed when we get home and let her rest." said Max with a reassuring voice as he looked in his rear view mirror and eyed their newest member. Yes, he thought Faer would fit in just fine. Now he had two daughters and seven sons. His family was turning out nicely.

Pulling into the driveway, he parked the car while noticing with disdain that his boys' bikes were still in the driveway. He had been hoping they would have left by the time they returned, but apparently not.

"Sam go open the door please."

"Yes sir."

"Lucy, would you help me? I don't want to jostle her arm too much."

"Of course dear." Opening the back door, Lucy helped Max pick up her niece before they carried her inside only to see that everyone was waiting in the living room to meet her. "Sorry guys, but her pain pills knocked her out. Max and I are going to take her to bed. Star, would you help me get her settled?"

"Ok." Watching as the ladies disappeared upstairs behind Max, the living room fell silent as the boys were left alone.

"She's…she's really changed since we saw her last. Hasn't she Sam." said Michael as he looked at the stairs. Last time he had seen Faer was six years ago and even then at the age of eighteen, she had looked fourteen. She was still in her awkward stage then and she fell over her feet more often than not and was still trying to get used to her new body that at the time had made her look more chubby than anything else and her hairstyle at the time hadn't helped either. She had kept it incredibly short and she had made it a habit to spike it if just to spite her mother and father who hadn't liked anything at all about her hobbies or personal style. That was part of the reason why it had been so long since they had last seen her. Their aunt was worried "they" were rubbing off on her when they had looked more normal than her.

Now though at twenty four, it looked like Faer had actually grown into the body she had been given. She looked taller and her chubby body seemed to have reformed into that of a woman with curves in the right places. She had let her hair grow out too and it was now a long softly curled auburn mess that was in need of a good brushing from the bus ride. On top of it all, you could see the bruises that littered her face and what bits of skin they could see. She was exhausted and battered and in desperate need of rest. But for some reason thought, he wanted to say that her exhaustion looked like it was far older than just the four days it had been since the accident, but he wasn't sure. He hadn't seen her in forever and their shared phone calls and letters could only tell him so much.

"Yeah." said Sam quietly. "Didn't she use to have short spiked hair with red highlights?" he asked while the boys merely raised amused eyebrows as they listened to the Emerson boys talk about their cousin.

"Yeah. She was also a foot shorter and not nearly as…"

"Fat?" supplied Paul with a smirk before Michael shot him an angered look. It was true she looked big, she was quite curvaceous, but it was all covered in several layers of bandages and clothes so her trip would be easier on her with the extra padding. Faer was no twig, but she wasn't fat.

"She's not fat! Her doctor made sure the ride would be as easy on her as possible." he said back in defense.

"So she's fat." said David in confirmation before he raised his hands in peace. "Seesh Michael. You act as though you care about her. She's only a cousin." he added as he stood up and grinned widely at the stairs before he motioned towards the door, his brothers following behind him obediently save Dwayne who was holding Laddie. "Put the brat to bed then catch up with us when you're done." he said reaching the door. "See ya later Michael. Tell Maxie we'll be by again real soon!" With that, they left and a minute later their bikes roared in the night before they headed down the road. Oh yeah. Getting to Faer would be real easy, especially if she acted the way she looked. David couldn't wait to make fun of the shy looking girl. They were always the easiest to control.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Three days had passed and Faer had been asleep the entire time. She woke every couple hours or so but a nice cocktail of pain pills and soup that Lucy practically forced down her throat, even against her protests, kept her compliant as she slept away her exhaustion from the recent events. When she finally awoke and felt somewhat alert, she truly took in her surroundings for the first time, frowning when she noticed the bedroom she was in and that it wasn't one she recognized.

She had the basics. A bed, nightstand and chest, but everything that would have made her room well, her room, was missing. About to lose herself to her thoughts, trying to figure out what exactly was going on, she paused when a knock sounded on her door.

"Faer? Honey are you awake?" Looking towards her door, Faer stared at it for a moment still trying to clear her head as she struggled to put a name to the voice she heard. When the door opened a minute later, she got her answer as Lucy peeked her head in. "Oh honey! It's so good to see you awake. How are you feeling? You've been in and out of it quite a bit lately what with those powerful pills your doctor gave you. But I talked to him and he said that since you've been resting for three days, it was ok to stop them." Quickly walking over, Lucy sat down beside her and patted her leg gently.

"hmm…aunt lucy?" Smiling at her niece's confused look, Lucy handed her a glass of water, giving her a few more minutes to wake up before she tried again.

"Feeling better?"

"yeah." said Faer with a small nod before she winced slightly. "wh…Where am I?"

"Hmm? Oh honey, those pills must have messed with your memory a bit. You're in Santa Carla honey. Remember? We thought it would be best if you came and lived with Max and mine's family for now."

"But why…? Why do I…I feel so sore. Where's mom?" Lucy frowned as she looked at her niece for a moment before she sighed and scooted closer, gently placing an arm about her shoulders.

"Sweety. What's the last thing you remember?" asked Lucy with hesitancy.

"Hmm? Uh…mom, dad and I. We were heading home from the movies. Mom was talking about going dress shopping…and how we had an appointment with the lawyers next week then…" Pausing in her words, Faer looked away when she felt her eyes sting. "they're dead…aren't they?"

"I'm so sorry honey."

"Did…did they suffer?"

"The doctor said they died on impact. To be honest, he was surprised you came out with as little injuries as you did. It could have been so much worse." A minute passed while Lucy watched her niece look out the large window her bed had been placed beside. Faer had grown up so much since she had last seen her. She actually looked like a woman versus that awkward eighteen year old she had seen last.

"What all have I missed?"

"Hmm?" asked Lucy, unprepared for the sudden breaking of their silence.

"I've been here for several days haven't I? Surely I've missed something."

"Oh. Um…well, I spoke with the doctor yesterday and he said that your parent's remains are still being held by the police department for the moment. The driver that struck you was intoxicated and fleeing police when he hit you for some other charge so they want to collect as much evidence as possible in order to prosecute him to the full extent of the law."

"Oh."

"He said that when we know what we want to do, then we can call the morgue and give them the details."

"Cremate them."

"Huh?"

"Cremate them. There's no one to attend a funeral besides us. Father's side of the family barely acknowledges him. They won't come to the funeral for him and his "uncouth" wife."

"Oh honey. I'm so sorry."

"It's ok Aunt Lucy. I've grown used to their hostility. They didn't exactly try to hide it." It was true, once she had grown from a child and began to resemble her mother, the more her father's family began to detest her as well. She stopped receiving letters from them, birthday wishes and she was no longer invited to the yearly holiday parties they used to hold religiously. Even when they had the rare meeting, their words were no longer kind. They were stern and cold and Faer had learned to just ignore them because they weren't judging her by who she was anymore. No, they were judging her for her parentage and one of the things that Faer prided herself on was ignoring those who decided they were going to be asses over things people couldn't control.

Sure, she could be shy and quiet most of the time, but she could throw the switch and stand up for herself when she wanted just as easily. The only thing though that stopped her most of the time was the fact that her father's side of the family had been raised like that. They were pedigreed bastards who thought they were better than everyone else. No, the ones she let have it were the ones she knew were doing it purely for fun because they had nothing better to do. Even then thought, most of the time she just ignored them. Her father's side of the family had rubbed off on her some of course and it showed in her simply ignoring what she deemed wasn't worth her time.

"Lucy?" Coming out of her thoughts, Faer looked towards her bedroom doorway as a man appeared in it that she had never met before. "Oh Lucy there you are and oh…Faer, it's so good to see you awake. You were starting to worry us young lady." Staring at the man with a semi shocked look on her face, Faer couldn't help but feel comforted by his words. In the two sentences he had said to her, he had shown her more concern than her own father had in months. It was part of the reason why she wasn't too torn up about their deaths. They had been drifting further from each other for a while now.

"Faer? Faer hun. Are you alright?" Blinking her eyes, Faer berated herself when she realized she had gone off into her thoughts yet again.

"sorry." she apologized quietly before she gave her aunt an apologetic smile.

"It's okay hun. But as I was saying a minute ago. This is my husband Max. Max this is my niece Faer." Stepping into the room, Max walked over to her and held out his hand for her to take. A minute passed before she shyly placed her hand in his and watched as he raised it to his lips for a gentlemanly greeting.

"It's a pleasure to meet you my dear. I can't tell you how worried we've been about you. If you need anything feel free to ask. We're family after all and family takes care of each other. Understood?" His voice was fast and to the point, but Faer heard a bit of kindness in there mixed with some strictness. He seemed like a good, caring man, but appearances could be deceiving. She would just have to wait and find out.

"thank you. That makes me feel much better. To know that at least one part of my family still wants me." She watched as Max's smile seemed to falter slightly before it returned with a fury and nodding his head, he patted her hand gently before he turned his attention to Lucy. They exchanged words quickly and once Max told her good night, he left the two females alone.

"Aunt Lucy?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think I could take a bath? I didn't notice until just now, but I feel so dirty."

"Oh, of course dear. Let me go get something for your cast and then I'll help you to the bathroom and get you set up."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Hello mother." said David mockingly as he and his brothers walked in the door.

"Hello David, Paul, Marko, Dwayne." said Lucy as she ignored David's attempt to stir her ire. She was slowly getting better, day by day at ignoring him and she was hoping that soon, he would just give up. At the moment she was cooking like she did most nights for everyone, hoping that her meal would help sate some of the ire that ran through the family still. Sometimes, it seemed like Sam, Laddie, herself and Max were the only ones really trying to make it work. Michael and Star usually either stayed in the basement, when they weren't needed upstairs to watch Laddie, or they were off on a date just the two of them. The boys though, actively tried to be part of the "family" and by actively, she meant they tried to cause as much trouble without actually doing anything as possible. Most of it came from their choice of words or the pranks they played once in a while, however sometimes even their mere presence set someone off, namely Max. The boys didn't enjoy that the Emersons were there but there was nothing they could do. They couldn't go against Max.

Of course, Lucy knew the real reason they showed up so much. They all felt a responsibility to Laddie, namely Dwayne, and they appeared so the boy could see them a couple times a week, with the excuse of needing to work on their bikes in the garage where they kept their tools. Lucy knew that if Laddie wasn't there, the boys wouldn't hesitate to stay as far away from the house as possible unless they were summoned by Max. They were too free to deal with the whole family mumbo jumbo besides the four of them and Laddie. But most of the boys, meaning all of them but David, were making a conscious effort to accept Sam and herself for the most part since they didn't do anything but try to play peacekeeper.

"Is that french toast Lucy?" asked Paul as he sauntered up to her and looked over her shoulder. Paul had taken to her the quickest of the four of them and it had taken a few months of gentle prodding before she was able to get it out of him that she reminded him of his long deceased mother. The truth had made her sad for him, but she had embraced the role of being a step mother, which was what Max had partially wanted her for. The man really did love her.

"Mm hmm, and if you go and fetch Laddie I'll start plating these up. There's more than enough for everyone if you boys want any. Oh!" Pausing in her cooking, Lucy turned to the boys with wide eyes filled with excitement. The boys immediately all took a big step back and Lucy tried to hide her smile of amusement at their action. She could scare them just as much as they could scare her when she wanted. Just not in the typical ways that they were used to. "Faer's up! She's taking a shower right now, but she should be down soon if you guys want to meet her!"

It was silent for a second before David grinned. Now, he could annoy Max as well tonight. "What do you say boys? Want to meet our new "sister"?" The boys all hooted and hollered as usual before they walked out of the kitchen and into the living room, Dwayne heading downstairs with Paul to see Laddie while David and Marko lounged in the living room. The plan was to hang around longer than usual tonight. Usually, they left once Laddie and Sam had gone to bed, Nanook more than capable of watching over the house now that he was a hell hound, but tonight the boys really did need to work on their bikes. Well Marko and Paul did anyways. The two had been goofing off and not paying attention like they should have done and inadvertently drove their bikes into trees. Ok, Paul had, he had just kicked Marko off of a semi high cliff before he hit. Needless to say, David and Dwayne had been amused watching the two roll around on the floor trying to beat the other up.

"Breakfast!" called Lucy to the house before the kitchen began to fill as everyone slowly appeared. The usual bickering and snide remarks between the children filling the room as they each approached Lucy and received a plate of french toast that quickly quieted them all down as they hurried to finish their plates so they could go back for seconds.

"Hello everyone! I see you're all getting along nicely." said Max as he entered the kitchen and ignored the children as they all rolled their eyes. They knew he knew how much they quarreled and they also knew that he was ignoring it in favor of letting time work her magic to soothe it all out. "Lucy. Doing marvels again I see." he said kissing her lightly on the cheek.

"Are you not hungry dear?" asked Lucy as she tried to hand him a plate before he held his hand up in silent refusal.

"Oh nothing for me, thank you Lucy. I take it since Sam's down here, that means Faer's in the bathroom correct?" he asked as she handed him a mug of his special coffee. It had some blood mixed into it to help him become more alert.

"Yes, why?"

"I think she's having some trouble. I keep hearing all of these thumps and little whimpers of pain. For a minute I had thought the boys had put itching powder in Sam's towel again." At the mention of that incident, Sam's head snapped up from his plate before he wearily eyed his smirking brothers who were simply grinning at him. He would have to remember to grab a clean towel when he went to bathe for a while now, not putting it passed Paul and Marko to actually do it again now that Max had reminded them.

"Oh. I think she's trying to do more than she's able to at the moment. I'll go check on her quickly and meet you at the store in a bit."

"Take your time my dear. No rush after all." said Max with a wink at the little joke between their family. Time certainly didn't mean a thing to them after all.

"Alright dear. See you when I get there."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

About an hour had passed and Lucy was getting ready to head out to the store. It was almost eight and she wanted to have enough time to go over a few things in the back with Max before it was time to close. Michael and Star had left practically the minute they had finished eating and put away their dishes while Dwayne had taken Laddie downstairs to play with him for a bit before he put him to bed. Sam was watching a movie while the others were in the garage working on their bikes and finally Faer had decided she was going to stay in bed, still too tired and sore to do much moving around.

"Sam, I left a few pieces of toast in the microwave for Faer when she gets hungry. She might not come down since she said she was still pretty sore, but if she does could you let her know for me? Oh and if she doesn't come down before you go to bed, could you check in on her for me too? And if anything happens, call." said Lucy as she walked to the door and grabbed her keys.

"Ok mom." called Sam and sighing as she walked out to her car, Lucy couldn't help but fret. She had the feeling that something was going to happen, she just wasn't sure what.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

It was around nine thirty when Sam heard soft footsteps slowly make their way down the stairs. After a moment a slightly limping figure dressed in a light blue nightgown appeared, a large book being held in their hand. Silently, Sam watched as his cousin looked around the downstairs of her new home. She hadn't been awake when she had arrived and for the past three days she had been asleep from the drugs her doctor had prescribed for her. When her gaze landed upon him, she smiled slightly before she started to approach him.

'Well at least she's not being reclusive now that she's awake.' he thought in relief. However, that didn't keep a frown from crossing his face. He may have been young but he could tell when someone was being weighed down by something. He had seen his mother in the same position enough times when she was divorcing his dad. But on top of that all, he wondered if maybe Faer was still upset about the accident that she was withdrawing from reality again.

When her father's side of the family had begun to ostracize her, Faer hadn't been able to cope too well. She had been so close to her father's family and then basically over night, they had turned their sights away from her and treated her like she was worth nothing more than the dirt beneath their shoes. The disownment had devastated Faer and she had literally withdrawn into herself, relying on her imagination to get herself by. To be honest, it made sense. She didn't have many friends and he and Michael weren't there to physically help her either, so her retreating into her mind made up for the sudden hole that had been left.

"Hey Faer. How's your arm?" he asked when she got close to the couch he was sitting upon. She looked at him for a moment, a small smile coming to her face once more before it seemingly vanished without a trace and she continued to the chair that sat closest to the window. "uh Faer? I wouldn't sit there. That seat is…"

"Do you have any broth Sam?" Her voice was quiet as she spoke and he could clearly see the pain she was in as she tried to make herself comfortable while she interrupted him without really realizing it.

"I'm sorry, what Faer?" he asked, slightly caught off guard by the almost hollow sound her voice seemed to carry. It only furthered his thoughts that she was curling in on herself mentally and it worried him. Growing up and sharing letters and phone calls with his cousin, Sam had more than been witness to how far Faer's mind could go. It was part of why she enjoyed much of what he enjoyed as well, because it let her thoughts soar and they often led to several in depth and very interesting conversations between them. Of course, with that being said, it was also a crutch. Whenever she was upset or depressed she lost herself to her mind more often than not and tried not to dwell in reality for too long. Even worse, she did this so often that even though it showed, it only showed to those who really knew her. She was a pro at navigating the real world while living inside her imagination.

"Do you have any broth? I'm not very hungry and my ribs are hurting." As she spoke, she looked out the window, her eyes staring into nothing while she did her best to relax her body.

"Uh yeah. Do you want me to get your pain pills?" he said standing and heading towards the kitchen as he came out of his thoughts. He would talk to his mother later about it.

"I'm fine thank you." she replied, not taking her gaze from the window. Sighing as he watched her "settle" in the chair, Sam quickly made her some broth, using a packet of broth mix from a ramen noddle package. With a quick decision, he quickly grabbed her pain pills that had been left on the counter as well before he took the mug and started to walk towards the living room.

He took notice that while he had been making her something light to eat, well in this case drink, she had made herself as comfortable as possible and opened her book. Her upper body was stiff as she tried to keep her good arm away from her ribs while her broken arm rested upon her lap and setting the mug down upon the windowsill beside her, he held his hand out with the pills.

"Here. You should take these."

"I'm fine Sam, really."

"Faer please?"

"I don't need them." Sighing, he set the pills down beside the mug before he took his spot on the couch once more. He had fifteen minutes before he had to head to bed and he wanted to spend them with Faer so at least she knew he was there for her.

Looking at the book she held in her hand, Sam had to laugh a little. He should have known. If there was ever an author Faer would read without complaint and discuss to the end of the world, it was J.R.R. Tolkein. She loved his books like no tomorrow and when she found she was at a loss for something new to read, she would just choose a Tolkein novel and read it again without complaint. Of course, it was through her reading that they had found their shared love of geekiness. She had been reading a Superman comic and he had asked her to read it to him when he was still learning his ABC's. Since then when they exchanged letters, it was often them discussing various points of either a comic, game or book and he was looking forward to having those conversations in person now.

Smiling as he remembered some of their more heated discussions through the mail, Sam couldn't help but let that smile die. From the looks of it, the cousin he had received so many letters from was nowhere to be found and hadn't been for a while. Perhaps now that she was here, maybe he could help get the Faer he remembered back.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ten rolled around and letting out a sigh, Sam stood and turned off the television. He knew Faer wasn't watching, she was too wrapped up in her book, having lost herself once more to it after she gave up trying to pick up her broth without jarring her ribs too much. The bruising along her ribcage was easily bothered and extremely painful still and after several tries she had decided to just read, not wanting to bother him by asking for his help. Sam sighed once more, knowing it was going to be a long few days before he was able to get Faer to start asking for help from him, let alone anyone else.

I'm going to bed now. My step brothers should be in soon. They're in the garage working on their bikes. If I were you, I would go back up to my room but since you'll have to meet them sometime soon, I would just ignore them. They can be real bullies, but Marko and Dwayne are pretty ok. Just steer clear of David. Oh and don't let Paul get behind you. He can be kind of grabby."

"Thank you Sam. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Faer."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Well, well. What do we have here?" Looking up from her book, Faer looked at the four figures that stood before her, each grinning as they stared at her. The first was the tallest, with tan skin and long dark hair. He looked to be a quiet person and she inwardly wondered if he enjoyed books as much as her when she saw his eyes flicker to the title of her book more than her. The one next to him was pale with wind swept blonde hair and a rock and roll theme to him. Almost immediately, she assumed him to be Paul. He had the playboy vibe going about him and she would be surprised if it was one of the others.

Turning her attention to the youngest looking one of them who had a curly blonde mullet and was biting his thumb while grinning at her, Faer wondered what kind of person he was. He looked playful, like he enjoyed jokes and living life and somewhere, she really hoped he was one of the two that Sam had said wasn't so bad. Looking at the last one who stood in front of them all, she had no doubt in her mind that this was David. The man radiated authority and mischief with platinum blonde hair that he spiked and ice blue eyes. She had to admit, he didn't look half bad, however his attitude made her pause in allowing her sudden crush to go any further than just that. He was the worst of them and yet…looking into his eyes, she couldn't help but desire to get a little closer to him in the future. She had the feeling that he was far more than just a bully.

Not allowing any of her thoughts to cross her face, Faer looked at them for all of a minute before she raised her book again and continued where she had left off. She was getting to a good part in the story and she really didn't want to stop in order to listen to snide remarks from a person who only wanted to rile her up. Half way through a sentence, she frowned when her book was yanked from her hand, David holding it in his grasp.

"What cha got here, huh? The Silmarillion. J.R.R. Tolkein huh? Not bad. Here Dwayne." Tossing the book to the dark haired one, Faer kept her eyes on the book, not looking away from it. That had been a birthday present from her mother. One she had been asking for for a long time. In fact, it was the last present she had received from her mother, which only made her heart constrict as she watched the book be tossed through the air before Dwayne caught it.

Watching as he looked it over, Faer paused when two arms invaded her vision and warm breath ghosted her skin. Turning her head, she stared at David who had rested his hands upon the armrests and was obviously trying to intimidate her.

"So, you're Faer. Well Faer, I'm David and you're sitting in my chair." The silence was thick as Faer stared at David for a moment, her eyes giving away nothing but disinterest before she turned her head away from him and looked out the window once more. It was a beautiful night out. If only she was able to go outside and enjoy it. Not even a second later, she felt a hand grab her chin before she was forced to look at him once more. "It's very rude to ignore someone when they're talking to you. Do you not have any manners?"

"David." said Dwayne quietly while he set her book upon the fireplace's mantle.

"Be quiet Dwayne." growled David. "Faer needs to learn some manners. Especially if she's going to be living here from now on. Now, Faer. Let's try this again. You're sitting in my chair."

"I don't see your name on it." Needless to say, the boys were all shocked. No one spoke to David like that other than Max. No one without a death wish that is and she had done it with such a level voice as well, her gaze not breaking from David's.

"Well. The new girl has claws does she? I guess I'll just have to clip them." he said after a moment, his voice turning into a low growl. He was going to make sure this human knew her place. Just as he had made sure the others knew their place. The hierarchy was important to a vampire coven and new members needed to be put in their place, even if they weren't allowed to know the family secret just yet. "Listen here girl." he said, tightening his hold on her chin. "In this family, I'm head after Max and after me comes Dwayne. You will respect the rules we have set up here and listen when we tell you to do something. Understood?" Faer was silent once more, but her gaze still remained firm along with her breathing, saying that she wasn't impressed by his laying down the rules. "Answer me!"

"I don't care if you are Max's oldest. I'm not going to listen to someone who acts like a child. Even more, I'm not going to listen to someone who doesn't even live here! Now get your hands off of me!" If the silence at her last comment had been thick, this was downright choking. It was like Faer had a death wish and knowing David, he would be more than happy to oblige it too.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The boys should have known that her words were going to cause trouble. David didn't have the best temperament at times and with Max trying to get him to take Michael and Star under his wing once more, it had been even shorter than normal lately. David wanted nothing to do with the two "lovebirds" and they wanted nothing to do with the boys. It was a good agreement between the two groups but Max wanted more and he had been pushing and pushing unwilling to let up.

It wasn't enough that they showed some responsibility now by coming to take care of Laddie and watch Sam when the lovebirds were gone. No Max didn't like their separation and wanted them to start hanging out with each other. David refused and he was still refusing and he showed it by appearing more around the house and creating new rules just for the pleasure of seeing Michael and Star struggle to find their place in the coven once more. Max wasn't happy about it, but he couldn't do anything. David was his oldest and had that right. The only ones he could truly protect from his boys were his mate, Sam, Laddie and now Faer. They were still halves and humans. The second you became a full vampire, you fell into the hierarchy with no mercy. Well, not exactly, Lucy would be under his direct rule because she was his mate, but the others would have to follow explicitly once they were turned. As of the moment thought, the halves and humans only had to listen somewhat, they weren't bound like the others. There was leeway and Max could completely overrule David at any time.

SLAP!

Diving for their brother, Dwayne, Paul and Marko quickly pulled David away from Faer who was looking towards the floor with her head turned to the side. She didn't bother to bring up a hand to her stinging cheek, nor did she gasp in pain and cry. Her reaction was completely numb and the continuing silence was almost deafening now.

David knew he had messed up, he had messed up the second he allowed her words to get to him. He should have expected Faer to lash out verbally. She was after all an Emerson and it was in their nature. The question now was, what was he going to do. He had already been on Max's shit list for a while now simply because he refused to accept the "family" that had almost gotten him and his brothers killed and was now posing a risk of exposing them simply because of the size the coven had now reached. Now, he was going to be in even deeper water for physically hurting someone who was explicitly off limits.

Sometimes David wondered why he felt the need to constantly go against Max. Maybe it was because the old bat deserved it, which in a way he did. It had been his order after all that had almost gotten them all killed and he still wasn't ready to forgive Max for that.

"..vid. David!" Snapping out of his thoughts, David stared at Dwayne who was standing in front of him, blocking Faer from his view. "You need to calm down! Max is going to kill you if you're not careful!" Slowly, clarity came back to him and it was at that point that David realized the true reason Dwayne was in front of him. It wasn't so he couldn't see Faer, it was so Faer couldn't see him, completely vamped out.

Faer wasn't allowed to know the truth. Not until it was clear whether or not she was going to remain permanently in Santa Carla or not. Lucy had fought with Max for Faer to have that right and Max had made it very clear that she was going to receive it. That was another reason why he was so pissed. No one else in the coven had received that right. They were either on the brink of death like himself and his boys, had no choice when they were turned like Lucy or they were tricked like Michael into drinking. To have a choice without consequences was pretty much nonexistent and it pissed him off. Max never would have allowed it if Lucy hadn't been there. He had grown soft for his mate and it showed.

"David!" Freezing in his place, David and the boys looked behind them at the voice they hadn't been expecting. There standing in the doorway was Max, Lucy behind him, and he looked furious. If David had thought that he might be able to get away with simple banishment before he was sure Max was just going to kill him and be done with it. He had never seen his sire so furious before.

Shoving his brothers off of him, David straightened himself out before he turned to Max and took on his nonchalant pose. He may have been worried for what was going to happen, but he sure as hell wasn't going to let Max see it.

"What is going on here?! I told you boys to leave Faer alone!"

"We were just saying hi to the new girl, Max. No harm done." replied David in his usual drawl. Max bristled before he pointed his finger at him and let loose his anger.

"You've done it this time David. I've had enough of you! You are insolent, reckless, disobedient! You think I find your actions funny?! You think because you are my oldest that you have the right to pick and choose which of my rules you listen too!? I have put up with too much of your antics over the years but no more! David, I want you ou…!"

"I fell." Pausing in his tirade, Max stared at the figure behind the boys in disbelief. Even the boys were surprised by the words.

"I…I'm sorry my dear. What did you say?" asked Max, his voice now slightly calm and majorly confused as he motioned for his boys to step aside so he could actually see her. She had her head down and her hair had fallen to hide her face while she held her hands in her lap quietly. One could easily see the bruise that was forming on her cheek, but her hair concealed the shape so Max only saw a round spot instead of a hand.

"I fell. I managed to get downstairs with no problem but after I had sat for a while it was a bit difficult to get up. Sam had gone to bed a while ago and I forgot that they were in the garage so I didn't know that I could have asked for help. When I went to stand, it was difficult and painful and I dropped my book by mistake. I tried to pick it up but then I got light headed. I haven't had much to drink and I know that you told me too Aunt Lucy but I got so wrapped up in my book that I forgot and I got light headed when I bent down to pick it up and then I fell. I hit the hearth of the fireplace and as you can see, it left quite the bruise. My cry had your sons all running to see if I was alright." As she spoke, Faer remained calm just as she had when David had been trying to intimidate her and looking up so she could meet Max's gaze, she gave him a small apologetic smile while a single tear rolled down the side of her face. "They were just making sure I was fine."

"Then my dear. Care to tell me why David was so angry when I walked in?" Of course Max didn't believe her for a moment, but he wanted to see if she could keep the lie up. So far, she was doing marvelous and if he didn't know his oldest the way he did, he would have been inclined to believe her. Instead, he was watching her for mistakes, trying to figure out why in the world she was trying to save his oldest from being banished from Santa Carla when David had no doubt been the one to cause her grief and give her that bruise.

"I snapped at him." she said nonchalantly. "He had taken my chin and was trying to look at the damage and I snapped. I slapped his hand away." Turning now to David, she gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude. I'm not used to someone looking after me. So touches, even in kind gestures are weird still."

David was glad he was facing Faer instead of Max, because he was sure her entire lie would have been ratted out if Max had seen his jaw hanging open like it was in disbelief. Why was Faer protecting him?

"He was, was he?" questioned Max as he looked at his oldest, just seeing David snap his mouth shut before he turned back to him. "Well David? You looked at it? Is she fine?"

"She just needs some ice. Marko was supposed to go grab some."

"Is that so? Marko?"

"uh…yeah! Be right back!" Running into the kitchen, Marko grabbed some ice and a towel before he returned and handed them to David who approached Faer once more and knelt before her.

"You're not going to slap me again are you?" he asked her, trying to play along with her story.

"I'm expecting it now." Nodding his head, David placed his free hand on her uninjured cheek before he gently pressed the ice to her swollen one. Faer gasped, raising her uninjured hand to cup his in pain but after a moment she calmed down and relaxed once more. "Thank you." Looking back to Max for a moment, she could see that even though he was still mad somewhat, he was slowly calming down. It was obvious he didn't believe her lie, but if she kept going and sold it to Lucy than there was nothing he could do. David would be safe, for now. "Paul?" she asked.

"uh yeah?" he replied, surprised that she was speaking to him.

"Where did you put my pain pills again?"

"Um…" Feeling his pockets while he looked around to buy some time, Paul sighed in relief when he spotted them on the windowsill. "Oh, I set them on the ledge. Here." he said quickly grabbing them before he placed them in her open hand.

"I'll go grab her some water." said Dwayne when he noticed she didn't have any. By this point Max was floored. All of his boys were working together to save David from his wrath and even more, Faer was running it. This was completely flabbergasting but he wasn't about to end it. He was curious to see just how far this could go while Faer was with them.

"Well. I guess I overreacted." said Max while he put an arm around Lucy's shoulders and sent her a private thought to keep quiet for the moment. "David. I'm sorry for yelling at you. Now if you don't mind, Lucy and I are going to retire to our room. Faer, have a good night. Boys, don't make me regret my words." Walking up the stairs, Max nodded his head to Dwayne who passed him with the water before he pulled Lucy into their bedroom, a smile on his face.

"Here." said Dwayne, handing her the glass after she had popped the pills in her mouth and watched her take a drink. A moment later, she handed him the glass back and he took it, setting it upon the windowsill beside her broth.

"Thank you." she said, her eyes travelling back to David who still held the ice to her cheek. "Thank you, but I think we can take it off now. They're gone after all." Placing her hand once more over his, she gently tried to pull his hand away but he didn't move, he just stared at her. He was still surprised by what had happened. Max had never been talked down like that before and he had never seen anyone forgive so quickly for a physical attack either. Faer was a mystery to him and he wanted to solve it. But first…

"You should go to bed. It's after one." he said, his voice even and calm now while he continued to press the ice to her cheek, ignoring her tries to remove his hand.

"I want to, believe me." replied Faer with a soft tone while she moved her hand so she could hide a yawn behind it. "But my ribs are hurting so much. I don't think I'll be able to make it up the stairs."

"Then wouldn't it be more beneficial for you to ask one of us to help you?"

"I thought you said I needed to be declawed before you helped me?"

"Then why did you help me?"

"Because this is your home, not mine. I don't know what I'm going to do once I heal, but I don't want to get you thrown out for being an ass when I'm only here for a bit." David and the boys chuckled at her words, still surprised by her reasoning. Most humans didn't think like that.

"You know Max knew you were lying." he said, wanting to see her reaction. She just smiled softly before she nodded her head, wincing slightly when her cheek stung. "Sorry about that."

"Don't apologize. I know you don't mean it." She was right, he didn't, though he did feel a bit guilty about it now. He should have been more collected than he was and he knew he was going to have to stay away from the house for a while so he could regain it once more.

"Fair enough. I'm not sorry for what I did, but in retrospect you did deserve it."

"How did I deserve it? By defending myself from someone who wanted nothing more than to rile me up for no reason other than me being the new girl or sitting in your chair? I knew exactly what you were doing from the start, that's why I ignored you. You weren't worth my time or my breath." David had to give this woman some credit. She sure as hell wasn't one to back down for nothing and she knew she had the upper hand since Max and Lucy were now home for the night. If he screwed up once more, there would be no convincing Max that it was an accident and Max would no doubt have his head instead of banishing him this time.

Chuckling, David smirked as he locked his eyes with hers before he removed his hand from her bruised cheek and set the ice down. "I'll give you some credit. You're sure not one to back down from a dominant."

Now it was Faer's turn to laugh, her gaze still locked with his. "I know someone much worse than you David. You don't frighten me."

'I will girl. Just you wait.' he thought with a smug smirk on his face. Faer had no idea just what kind of person he could be and he was going to enjoy proving her wrong when the time came. Someone worse than him huh? He'd see about that. When the time came for Faer to know the truth, he would make sure she knew just how dangerous he could be, just as the others knew.

Shaking his head of his thoughts from his animalistic side, David stood and picked her up, ignoring the hiss of pain she gave out when her ribs protested the movement. Carrying her up the stairs and to the second room on the left, he set her down on the bed and turned on the lamp upon her nightstand before he looked down at her once more. He felt he needed to say something. That he needed her to understand that she did have to be careful, because even though he needed to regain his composure, and he planned on doing that before he returned to the house, the next time he or one of them snapped, she might not come of it with just a slap.

"Faer, I want you to understand that what happened tonight, happens often. You might be under Max's roof, but this family runs by a very different set of rules than you're used to. If you're not careful you might not end up as lucky as you did tonight. Understood?"

"I understand. But at the same time. You need to understand that if you do something so foolish as well, you might not come out as lucky as you did tonight either." Her words were cool and collected and David felt the urge to tear her throat out. His power had never been challenged like this before and it was irritating him to no tomorrow. He knew he needed to beat a hasty retreat before he really did harm her further and turning on his heel, he walked out the door. "Goodnight David."


	5. Who Holds The Aces

Two weeks had passed since the incident and David and the boys were surprised that they hadn't been called back to the house simply so Max could yell at them some more. Even though Faer had managed to talk him out of banishing David that night two weeks ago, their sire didn't usually let such incidents just slip like that. So deciding that it was better to just go and face whatever wrath Max was building upon versus allowing him more time to come up with something so he could torment them more than usual, David led his brothers to the house. Of course, it all wasn't just to make sure Max wasn't planning something, it was also so Dwayne could see Laddie. This was the longest the two had ever been apart and his second in command was eager to see his "son".

Pulling into the little spot of driveway that had been left for them and their bikes, the boys hopped off just as Lucy and Max came out the door. Max gave them a stern glare as usual but didn't say anything while Lucy smiled at them in a motherly way as usual too.

"Oh boys! It's good to see you. I was beginning to worry something had happened to you. I made chili not long ago and there's plenty to go around so feel free to help yourselves. Oh and Michael and Star are out, Sam is over at a friend's house working on a project for the night and Faer is playing with Laddie in the basement. They're decorating her cast since she got it off today and Laddie has been wanting to personalize it for her for days now. Dwayne, please put Laddie to bed at eight. He has a test tomorrow and I want him to do well. Then you can take him to the Boardwalk this weekend. Sound fair?" Nodding his head, the Native American man agreed with Lucy's decision. He may not have liked that Laddie was living here with them and away from him, or that Laddie was being forced to stay awake during the day when the vampire blood in him was trying to keep him asleep, but he knew that Laddie was well cared for and had far better living arrangements than they did. That and Lucy was able to care for him during the day when he was asleep and feed him home cooked meals instead of fast food, which for a vampire wasn't too bad, but it was still unhealthy. Besides, he was happy Laddie was going to school. He would be educated about things instead of ignorant, which meant he was more likely to use his head than just run with the pack.

"Have a good night boys. Just leave your dishes in the sink as usual." With a final smile, Lucy and Max were off for work and the boys entered the home immediately heading for the basement. Something wasn't right. Max hadn't been angry still and Lucy had acted like everything was fine. What the hell had happened after they had left two weeks ago?!

"DWAYNE!" Launching himself at the dark haired male, Laddie began to talk a mile a minute while the others just looked at the woman sitting upon the floor with a book in her hand, reading as if nothing was wrong. As if what had occurred two weeks ago had never happened and what had them all gapping was that her cheek was completely healed.

"Dwayne take Laddie upstairs." said David as he didn't take his eyes off of the woman who had yet to acknowledge their presence and knowing that David was about to get hostile once more, he did so quickly, shutting the door so Laddie would hear less of what was happening and hopefully not ask questions. Of course, if he was worried about anything, he was hoping Paul and Marko would be enough to hold David back if he decided to get physical yet again.

Once the door was shut, David stormed up to Faer and knelt before her, his hand coming to grasp her chin harshly as he yanked her face side to side looking for any sign of the large bruise that should have been there. It may have been two weeks but bruises the size that he had left upon her should have just been fading, traces of it still left upon her skin.

"THE FUCK IS THIS?!" he yelled, slamming his hand down upon the table after he had failed to find any trace of it. He had even rubbed her cheek and looked to see if she was wearing makeup. Nothing. There was nothing. Whatever was going on, David didn't like it.

"What is what?" asked Faer staring at him with a blank look.

"Don't play with me woman. The hell did you do?" Tilting her head to the side, she looked at him silently for a moment before she spoke.

"Saved you." Raising an eyebrow at her words, David and the others looked at her incredulous. Saved him? The hell was she talking about?

"And how did you do that?" asked David with skepticism in his voice.

"After that night, I stopped taking the pain pills Aunt Lucy gave me. They were meant to help me rest, keep me sleepy enough that I would stay in bed versus getting up."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Because I wasn't asleep when they thought I was, and that it was drug induced as well, Max and Aunt Lucy didn't exactly keep their voices down. Max wanted to see the bruise on my face. He knew I had been lying like you said and he wanted the proof so he could confront you on it. Something about how it was better to put an end to things now then to chance something even worse happening down the line. I heard their footsteps coming towards my room so I curled up tightly beneath the covers with all of my pillows around me. When they came in and tried to look all they found was me curled tightly into a mass of hair, pillows and covers. Aunt Lucy was too worried they would injure my ribs more so they didn't try to move me."

"So what did you do then?" asked David curious. Faer shrugged her shoulders.

"I waited until I knew everyone was asleep. Aunt Lucy said that after ten in the morning, everyone was pretty much out for the day, save Sam and Laddie since they were at school, and everyone had night jobs to attend to. Yada yada yada, anyways, after ten, I got some ice, a couple ingredients and my makeup kit. Ice helped with the bruising, the ingredients mixed into a face mask that help skin rejuvenation and my mother had taught me how to use makeup without others noticing. I was able to hide the hand print and make it look like I had actually hit the hearth. When Max saw me in the kitchen the next night, he looked confused but didn't push it. Aunt Lucy saw nothing but a small bruise and Max wasn't about to check for makeup in front of her so he didn't push it. I kept up with the routine and within a week the bruise was fading and Max eventually dropped it."

"So you took pity on me?" he asked with disgust. A human woman had taken pity, on him?! The most dangerous vampire in Santa Carla?!

"Yes." she said as he sneered. "and no. I may not know what goes on here and I may know that you do not live here, but I know you're important to this family and that Max does not make empty promises. Up until four days ago when the bruise faded completely, he kept searching. Thankfully though, Aunt Lucy was always around and she's been extremely protective. Any time I thought he was getting too close, I would say my ribs were hurting or my arm was itchy and Aunt Lucy would be beside me in a second. I think he was starting to get annoyed that I kept foiling his attempts to get close enough to me to get a good look." At this confession, the boys couldn't help but to chuckle. It seemed Faer was pretty good at getting on Max's nerves as well and even more, he believed Faer was completely innocent of it all too. "Of course, even though the bruise is gone, I know he still suspects. Thankfully Aunt Lucy has been helping to calm him down as well and with her helping and my so called "clumsiness", Max won't think any more of it, but…"

"You're blackmailing us?!" cried Paul incredulous. This woman had nerve. She had a lot of nerve.

"In a way yes." Smirking now, David found himself sitting down on the floor before her. No matter how mad he had been a minute ago, he found himself suddenly liking this woman just a little bit more than when he had entered. She knew how to play the game and she knew how to play it well. That and she had kept him from either A, getting killed by Max, or B, getting banished from Santa Carla with none of his brothers beside him, knowing that no matter how loyal they were to each other, if Max ordered them to stay, they would have no choice but to obey. He owed her, as much as he hated to admit it.

"Name your terms." he said, his grin in place once more. He was eager to play, eager to see if there was a way to come out on top as always.

"You have to be kinder to Aunt Lucy." That first one made him raise an eyebrow. Seriously? She had power over him and she was asking for him to be kinder to his "mother"?

"You're kidding."

"No. She keeps asking Max about ways she might be able to make you more comfortable or happier with the situation you all find yourselves in and she constantly racks her brain for things you might like. You know the new tool kit for your bikes in the garage?"

"Yeah." said Marko as he and Paul moved to sit around the table with her and David.

"Aunt Lucy bought that. Not Max. She thought you four might like it."

"Why didn't she tell us she had bought it?" asked Marko with a frown. It did make sense now that he thought about it. Max hated their motorcycles. He wanted them gone. Why would he buy tools to help fix them?

"She didn't want you guys to think you owed her. She just wants the family to get along a little better."

"Fine. We'll be…kinder." said David. "Anything else?"

"Stop trying to intimidate me. My ex did that all the time and he was worse than you. So please don't remind me of him. It brings back…painful memories." she finished with a mumble as her voice died. David didn't like that thought, but now her reaction to him was justified. She was used to the treatment, and for some reason, that bothered him. A lot.

"Done."

"One more thing." she said, stopping him from saying anything else.

"Yes?" he asked, encouraging her to continue. He could see her deflate and looking at her eyes he could see she was exhausted. Had she not been sleeping well? Had trying to keep what he had done a secret from Max taxed her already fatigued state? Watching her bite her lip for a moment, a look of weariness crossed her face before it went back to the blank slate they had seen her wear from the start.

"if I…ask something of you…Promise me…you'll think about it before saying no." Now this caught him off guard. If he was blackmailing someone, he sure as hell wouldn't give them the opportunity to hold power over him and yet that was what she was doing. Giving him the choice to deny a request she might make in the future no matter what it might be. Curious to ask her why she was giving him such a kindness, he halted his questioning when he noticed her rub her ribs. Grasping her wrist, he pushed her down onto the floor, his body leaning over hers as he grasped the hem of her shirt and pulled it up until he could see. There in splotchy molted yellow and purple spots was a large bruise covering her side from where she had no doubt hit the car door during her accident. It must have been extremely tender still even though close to three weeks had passed. This patch of skin must not have received the same treatment as her face. "What are you doing?" she asked quietly, her voice just as hollow now as the first time he had spoken to her.

"Looking at your injury." he replied quickly as he gently ran his fingers along the fading bruise. He was surprised Lucy hadn't forced her to remain in bed still.

"I haven't let her see it in a week. She thinks it's doing better than it actually is."

"Then why aren't you in bed?" he questioned.

"I'm tired of sitting in my bed. Besides, I'm a guest here. I should help around the house as much as I can." The boys all raised eyebrows at her words. If they were guests, they sure as hell wouldn't help out around the house. Of course, it's not like they did help out in the first place. Shaking his head, David pulled her shirt down once more before he helped her sit up. "Do you agree to my terms?" she asked, getting back to the task at hand while she held out a hand for him to shake. Looking at it for a moment, he smirked before he grasped it, being careful as it was her newly healed arm.

"Deal."

When Max and Lucy returned at one, they were surprised to see all four of Max's boys and Faer in the living room watching TV. What surprised them though was that for one; Faer was in David's chair, two; David was sitting on the couch beside her, and three; Faer was asleep and the boys hadn't done anything immature to her. No doodles on her face, no moving her into an awkward position as they did with everyone else who fell asleep in their presence. Nothing. She was unmarred and looking at each other, the two journeyed into the kitchen, their shock clear to see. Especially when David picked Faer up into his arms and carried her upstairs before they left.

"Dear." said Max as he heard their motorcycles get fainter and fainter. "Did…did you see what I saw?" he asked confused.

"If you mean the boys behaving themselves for once. Yes. I did."

"Oh…good. Um…" They were at a loss for what to say. Now, they just had to hope that whatever miracle that had occurred, continued.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Another week had passed and things in the house had taken a huge turn. Whether it was for the better or not, Max wasn't sure. This past week, his boys had appeared at the house every night. Now this was strange considering they normally only showed every four or five days.

Their attitudes though, greatly surprised him by being the largest change. They were more courteous to Lucy, David especially and no matter how much he pondered and thought about what could have caused such a change, he found he couldn't come up with anything and sighing he resigned himself to sitting back and watching.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

It was Thursday night and as they had for the past two weeks, David and his brothers strolled into the house and walked to the living room, Dwayne of course, veering off to the basement so he could see Laddie. Inwardly, David wondered what he would find Faer doing tonight. She was such an enigma to him. None of what she did made sense. Normally, the females he met had one hobby and normally said hobby wasn't really a hobby. Either collecting fashion magazines or shopping to stuff their closets. Nothing that really made them stand out as anything more than a brainless idiot who was looking for a good time as they always pulled him to his bike and asked for a ride, not realizing that they had just asked the grim reaper to deliver them to the underworld. Each of them being added to the board of Missing Persons the next day, never to be seen again.

Faer though…she was everywhere. So far he had walked in on her reading, sewing, knitting, writing, even singing along with rock songs on the radio, much to Paul's joy, before he would walk into the house another night and hear her singing Danny Boy in the shower. He had no idea how in the world to even begin to classify her on the list of people he had come across in his long life.

"I'd quit now if I were you cous. You have three life left and the way I've played my game, you can't do anything without losing it. Draw a card, lose a life. Discard a card, lose a life. Play a new card, lose a life! Two of those are mandatory which puts you down to one life. Face it, I've won!" Gloating with a triumphant smirk on his lips, Sam watched his cousin stare at him with a blank expression while David and the boys moved around their game on the floor and took seats upon the furniture.

David smirked. So she was a geek too like Sam, he thought as he eyed their card game. They had had Sam try to explain it once but the game was complicated and his explanation quickly veered off into a long lecture about the different rules, lands and creatures that made up the game. Needless to say, he and the others had quickly made up an excuse to get out of the house and they hadn't asked Sam about his interests since. Of course, the only reason they had asked in the first place was because Max had threatened to make them move in whether they wanted to or not if they didn't start showing some interest in their new family and the boys enjoyed their freedom the cave afforded them too much. Now though, it appeared Faer understood the game and quite well too, because even though Sam had pretty much spelled out her defeat in the game, she had yet to concede.

"I don't know what you're thinking about. You have three life. I have twenty five. Just give up." Now Faer's stoic face changed. A pleased, smug smile gracing her features before she grabbed a random card in her hand and placed it down on a pile of cards.

"I discard a card. I have two life." Picking up another from a pile beside the other, she didn't bother to look at what she had drawn, her smile still present. "I draw a card. I have one life."

David and the others were wondering what she had planned. She was on her last leg, but David knew all too well what people scrambling to survive were capable of and grinning when she placed her hand upon one of the cards on her field, he knew that Faer was so much more than he had first made her out to be. She was cunning, quick, smart, talented and though she didn't show it, she was caring as well. All qualities he found himself admiring about her, though he would never admit it.

Locking eyes with Sam, Faer began turning cards, putting them into play as she spoke, striking him down without mercy. "I may have one life, but I do not need to play a new card. As you can see I have more than enough land and creatures to finish you off. So with that said, I attack your creatures for ten points of damage which destroys them leaving you wide open and now, I attack you directly for six, twelve, sixteen, twenty four, twenty nine and just for fun, thirty three points of damage. Which leaves you deader than dead, with negative eight life."

Beautiful. The move was beautiful and stunning. Faer had figured that Sam would have the upper hand and so she had planned accordingly, bidding her time. Filling her field with monsters and power that alone seemed weak but together were a force to be reckoned with.

'She'll make an excellent vampire.' he thought as Sam groaned, unbelieving of what had just happened. With a quiet laugh, she started to clean up her half, nodding her head cordially to Sam as he congratulated her. "My, you're just full of surprises aren't you?" said David before she turned towards him, her face blank once again. That irked him the most. That she really didn't show anything to him unless the feeling was almost overwhelming. Watching her face, he could see she was annoyed with him, especially when her eyes flicked to the window when the moon decided to glow bright. "What's wrong? Want to sit here again?" He couldn't stop himself from goading her every so often. It was who he was. He loved to play tricks and he loved to play games and he most definitely, loved to get on people's nerves and see how they reacted. It was how he survived being a vampire, by playing with his "food".

Looking back to him, Faer shook her head before she stood and walked to the stairs, weariness showing in her body. "Goodnight Sam. Goodnight guys."

"Going to bed already? It's only ten!" said Paul surprised before Sam gasped and started to scramble for his cards, knowing that the boys really had no problem with ratting on him to his mother if it meant they got to watch him get lectured. Normally Faer stayed awake until at least one and even then she fell asleep in David's chair. She never made it to her room.

"I don't feel like being social tonight." she said as a way of explanation and David tilted his head watching her. She may have been able to lie to Marko and Paul but she couldn't lie to him. Something was wrong and he wanted to know what. "Oh, David." she said pausing on the steps.

"Yes?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Next Thursday is Thanksgiving. Lucy wants to celebrate and have Thanksgiving Dinner that night. Are you and the boys coming?" David knew it wasn't a question. She may have worded it as one, but she wasn't asking him to think about it. This fell under the 'be kinder to Lucy' part of her blackmail of him and smirking, he nodded his head.

'Well played.' he thought before speaking. "Wouldn't miss it for the world." Nodding her head, she told them goodnight once more and retreated upstairs leaving behind two groaning vampires, a vampire lost in thought and a boy who looked like he was about to faint from how easily she had gotten David to concede. Thanksgiving would be interesting. Very interesting. "We're going." he said when Dwayne appeared in the living room. Laddie had been having trouble sleeping and so he had read the boy a story until he had fallen asleep.

Grabbing their bikes, the boys started them before driving off, David noticing Faer had retreated to her room so she could sit upon her window ledge with her head resting against the cool glass, her eyes closed and a contented smile on her lips. All the while bathing in the moonlight that she seemed to be taking pleasure in. So she liked the moonlight, he thought with a smirk as they drove off. Even better.


	6. A Meal to Sate All Appetites

It was Tuesday night and the boys were enjoying their time on the Boardwalk. They had fed well on some Surf Nazi's having a party and now they were just looking to stir up some trouble. Since Faer had said she wasn't feeling very sociable at the moment, David decided that they would leave her be for the moment. He still had a reputation to uphold on the Boardwalk and he knew that it would have only been a matter of time before Faer would grow tired of their constant presence. She knew that they made the extra trips just to see her and try to get under her skin. After all, he loved to play with minds and even though he had agreed to stop intimidating her, he couldn't stop himself from crawling under her skin with his stare as he watched every move she made. It unnerved her and now she had retreated.

"Shall we have some fun boys?" he asked the others as they moved from their spot along the fence and towards the Carrousel. It was their favorite place to find a meal and stir up some trouble.

Hoots and hollers fell from his brothers' lips as they jumped onto the moving attraction, their eyes scoping out those who would willingly fall into their trap and he smirked as he came across a blonde vixen. Cupping her face gently, he locked eyes with her, knowing already that she had fallen into his trap, her body reacting to him to make her seem more appealing. If only she knew how appealing she was. He would be able to enjoy himself well tonight.

When the ride stopped, he smiled at her once more before he grasped her hand and walked her away from the ride, the others doing the same with their own choices. Tonight would be fun, the girls would entertain them at their cave and fulfill their desires for the night before they sated their primal need, even though they had already fed it once tonight. And when tomorrow night came, they would look at the Missing Person's board and see their latest kills added to the others.

Riding away and onto the beach, the boys didn't notice the pair of eyes watching them. 'So, my suspicion was correct and if I'm right, Max is one as well.' thought the person as they turned back to the store they were in. For several nights now, they had been watching the boys when they had come to the Boardwalk and just about every single person they had gone off with, their picture had appeared on the Missing Person's board. Whether it was the very next day or a few days later, they all ended up on the board. At first, they were surprised no one else seemed to notice the obvious. The boys didn't exactly hide their conquests or the fights they got into and considering everything else they knew about the boys, the answer was staring back at them. Of course, they had no way to prove it. Yet.

"Are you ready to go dear?" asked Lucy as she walked up to Faer.

"Yeah. Hey, Aunt Lucy?"

"Yes dear?"

"Do you mind if I make some of Thanksgiving dinner?"

"Oh that would be wonderful. Your mother always did use the family recipes despite our lack of communication. For some reason I could just never remember them."

"I'll be sure to write them down for you then." said Faer with a smile as she thought of the times her mother had taught her Grandma's recipes.

"Thank you dear. Come on. Let's go home."

"Ok."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Thanksgiving was here and with a wide smile on her face, Lucy cheerfully set the table that had been lengthened with a few others so it could sit eleven. She would have set it for twelve, but her father was refusing to dine with vampires which apparently he hadn't gotten it through his head yet that she was a half vampire and Michael a full. At first, she had wanted to wait a little longer before drinking, but Max had been so adamant on sealing their marriage that she had said yes. The only thing keeping her from finishing it was waiting for Laddie to get to a point where he could be homeschooled without questions being asked and the fact that she was dead set on seeing at least one of her children walk across the stage for their high school graduation. Since Michael had pretty much decided he wasn't going to finish high school and had turned into a full vampire, which had pretty much set that in stone, her only chance for seeing that sight was with Sam and she wasn't going to miss it for anything! Sighing as she thought about the hopefully future moment, Lucy shook her head.

"I'm going to run upstairs and check on Max. Will you be alright alone for a bit dear?" she asked Faer as she finished setting the table. Looking up from the gravy she was stirring, Faer smiled slightly.

"I'll be fine. There's only a few more things to finish and the casserole and sweet potatoes should be coming out of the oven in fifteen minutes. I'd say dinner would be ready in half an hour so I have time to put the buns in the oven as well." Smiling a wide smile, Lucy nodded her head. At least Faer could cook without help, she was still teaching Star. Poor thing needed to be taught a lot of things. Thankfully though, it appeared the boys didn't need such lesson although she was curious how they did things back at their cave.

"Ok dear. Call if you need anything." Walking out of the room and up the stairs, Lucy just heard the sound of motorcycles coming up the driveway and walking down the hall with an extra hop in her step, she opened her bedroom door and walked in to see Max looking over some papers upon the small loveseat they had in their room.

"Is everything alright my dear?" asked Max as he looked up from the papers. Noticing the large smile on his wife's face as she closed the door.

"Hmm? Oh everything's fine Max. It's just…the boys are here! They're really here!" Now that had him raising an eyebrow. In the two years since the Emersons had joined the family and Lucy had put her foot down about celebrating the holidays, the boys had done everything to make it clear that they wanted no part of it. Now they were here and for some reason he couldn't help but think that part of it was because of the female he knew was down in the kitchen. He just wish he knew what it was she had done to get them to come. Shaking his head for now, Max decided he would wonder about it later. For now, he was just going to pay attention to his wife and try to ignore the feeling of dread that welled up within him as he heard the front door open.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Walking into the house with somewhat unenthusiastic expressions on their faces, the boys immediately sought out the only person they really cared to see, besides Laddie, and wandering into the kitchen, they plopped down in the first seats they found.

"When's dinner?" asked Paul with excitement. He had gotten high as usual before they came and now he was craving for food.

Looking over her shoulder at them, Faer sighed before she wiped her hands on the apron she was wearing and walked towards them. "Your spots are down there." she said pointing to the opposite end of the table. "David you're on the end, Dwayne to his left. Laddie will be beside you and Sam next to Laddie. Paul you're across from Laddie and Marko you're across from Sam. Star will sit next to you and Michael next to her. Lucy will sit beside Sam and Max at the head. Now move." she said in a semi commanding voice. The boys were stunned by the seating arrangement but somewhat grateful that she had placed them as far away from Max as possible. He had been giving them the stank eye for a while now since he noticed how close they were getting to Faer and now he was suspicious that they were playing a game with the new girl. Which in all truths they were, but he didn't need to know that, just as he didn't need to know that Faer was the one who held all the aces.

As they moved, none of them spoke of the seat she hadn't mentioned. The one that sat to David's right and placed her right in the middle of the Lost Boys. Man, they couldn't wait to see Max's reaction to that. Once they had sat down, Faer came over and filled their glasses with a warm drink, the scent of spices and citrus filling their senses. It smelled delicious and trying some, Paul quickly finished his first glass that Faer happily refilled for him.

"What is this?" asked Marko as he too found he enjoyed the drink.

"Witches Brew." she said nonchalantly as she turned to take the pitcher back to the counter before David reached out and grasped her arm.

"What happened?" he asked, pointing to a set of lines on her arm. They were new, just freshly scabbed over and an angry red where the skin was swelled about them. Quietly, the others watched, their eyes travelling to the marks as well as they waited for an answer from her.

"I found a stray cat outside today." she said after a moment, her eyes trailing to the scratches as she smiled softly. "I got too close wanting to pet it and in the end it scratched me before running off. It's nothing." Trying to pull her arm away from him, Faer watched as David pulled her closer, inspecting the wound. It looked to be what she said, a cat scratch, even though it almost looked surgical in a way, and inwardly sighing as he ran his fingers over the wound watching her hiss in pain, he reluctantly let her go so she could move back to the stove.

Minutes passed and the boys watched as Faer moved about the kitchen with a grace they didn't even see in Lucy. She fluidly moved from dish to dish, grabbing utensils and other ingredients from the fridge before she went back. They watched as she mashed the potatoes, made the filling for the devilled eggs and filled them as though she was a pastry chef. They watched as she pulled out the casserole and sweet potatoes before she placed in the buns and let them cook. From item to item she went and as each dish was completed, she placed a cover on them and then set them on the table.

Half an hour later, the table was filled to the brim with hot food and looking at the assortment with wide eyes while inhaling the tantalizing scent coming from them as the lids were removed, the boys were actually grateful for once that they had decided to show. Faer and Lucy were definitely talented chefs and eagerly they clutched their plates wanting nothing more than to dig into it. Paul of course, almost did so as everyone began to file into the room before his hand was slapped with a loud smack.

"Ow!" he cried, pulling his hand back. "What was that for?!" he whined as Faer sat down between him and David. Paul was obviously still high and inwardly David groaned because he knew Max would chew them out later for it to.

"One," said Faer as she looked at him. "Don't touch until Aunt Lucy and Max say so. And two, look at me." she said with authority and looking at her without thinking about it, Paul recoiled when she grabbed his chin and shoved something up his nose before she turned back to the table and took a sip of her drink as though nothing was amiss. The others just watched as Paul removed the object now completely awake and off his high. To say that David and the others were impressed was an understatement. No one had ever done that, not even them and Paul had never come down from his high so fast either.

'What did she shove up your nose?' asked Marko as he tried to keep the vampire beside him from overreacting. Opening his hand where the offending object lay, Paul showed Marko who had to cover his mouth to keep from bursting out laughing as Max entered the kitchen with Lucy and everyone else behind him. It was garlic. She had shoved a garlic clove up his nose.

'You don't think she…?' asked Paul as he connected to his brothers while trying to get the overwhelming scent of the garlic out of his head.

'How could she. We haven't done anything to show her and Max has forbidden the others from speaking about it as well. Until we know whether or not she's going to stay permanently, Max wants to keep everything under wraps.' said David as he eyed the woman sitting to his right who had a slight smirk on her face at Paul's reaction. He had to admit, shoving a piece of garlic up his nose was brilliant while also being absolutely hilarious. Good thing garlic being poisonous to vampires was just a myth and even better was that Paul hadn't gone mad and showed his animalistic side. Then again. He did wonder if Paul was right. Had she figured out what they were? He wasn't sure. The only times he saw people come down from their highs was when he had his teeth embedded in their throats and the pain drove them towards reality in an instant. So whether that was actually a proven method for highs in general or she was taking advantage of how awful garlic smelled to vampires was something to be discussed later.

"Well, doesn't this look wonderful." Coming out of his thoughts, David looked at Max who stood at the head of the table, his face alight with a wide smile as he looked around at everyone, his eyes kind for once even as they passed over him and his brothers. His smile did falter though for a minute when he saw where Faer was sitting but it was quickly wiped away when Lucy spoke up.

"I'm so happy everyone is here tonight. It just makes it all the more special."

"Yes it does my dear." said Max as he picked up his glass followed by everyone else, noticing with mirth when his boys looked very awkward in the situation. He knew they just wanted to eat and leave. Such occasions like this were never their forte no matter how hard he tried. So why they were even making the effort now was beyond him, but he had the feeling it had something to do with the woman sitting in the middle of them who nudged David a bit when he started to roll his eyes and was about to place his glass on the table once more. Knowing he didn't have long before David's patience wore out, Max raised his glass. "Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Thank you all for being here." he said, making a point to look David in the eye to let him know that for once, he was truly grateful he had decided to show up. "Now. Let's eat!"

Quickly, dishes were passed around and plates were filled, everyone getting along for once as the desire to eat the delicious looking meal took over. With silent thanks they all began to eat, Max freezing instantly as he took a bite of the stuffing while Marko froze when he tasted the green bean casserole.

'David!' yelled Marko as he looked at his brother out of the corner of his eye, trying to hide his surprise. He noticed Michael and Star pause for a moment before they continued to eat, still too new to truly be able to make the distinction between just what was wrong with the food. On his other side, he noticed Paul freeze as well when he took a bite of stuffing and then David and Dwayne once they had taken a bite of the mashed potatoes with some gravy on top. Frozen in shock, the Lost Boys and Max looked down at their plates while the others continued to eat, not noticing that something was amiss with the food.

'Boys, stay calm.' said Max as he smiled at Lucy and complimented on the turkey when she looked his way.

'Stay calm!?' yelled David through their link. 'SHE KNOWS! WHEN WERE YOU GOING TO TELL US YOU HAD TOLD HER?!'

'David calm down. I didn't tell her and neither have the others. I'm not sure how, but the magic surrounding us must have failed, allowing her to figure it out. She's a smart girl and she's perceptive, it's not that hard to believe.' Eyeing the woman eating nonchalantly in between his boys, Max spotted the marks on her arm. 'Those are fresh.' he noted while David looked as well.

'She said she found a stray cat and it scratched her.'

'Like I said, smart girl. That's exactly what they look like, if I didn't know better I wouldn't question it.'

'She cut herself.' said Paul, stating the obvious while he watched Laddie tug on Dwayne's jacket and ask him for help in cutting his turkey.

'Which only worries me. Part of me wonders if she's done this before. I want to say that yes she has, but from looking at the rest of her arm, I don't believe that. I want you boys to be vigilant. Understood? She may have cut herself this time to feed us, but who knows if she'll do it again for an entirely different purpose.' Inwardly frowning, Max sighed. Sure he was happy that Faer would now be staying with them permanently, but at the same time he was a bit dismayed. Lucy would be so upset when she found out what would need to happen now. She had been so set on Faer being able to go back to Kansas and live her life, do what she wanted to do. Now though, the choice had been made for her. Faer would join the family.

Of course, if he thought about how she had been doing during the few short weeks she had been here, he didn't think she wanted to leave. Why else would she chance putting blood into three of the dishes that she had made in a house of vampires? Faer was smart. She wouldn't make a mistake like this.

'No.' thought Max. 'She chose to reveal what she knew to us, without stating it out loud. Perhaps, it was a test? Perhaps she's not sure about her assumptions and was testing us? Either way, her plan worked.' Watching their newest family member, Max couldn't help but feel grateful. Perhaps she would be exactly what this family needed for everyone to get along.

'What do you want us to do then?' asked David as he and the others tried to play off just "how" delicious the food was.

'Normally I would say leave it to me.' began Max. 'But since her and I haven't really had the chance to speak much, I believe she's more comfortable with you, as surprising as that is to say. Therefore, I am going to ask that you take care of it. However! You will not harass her. You will not intimidate her. And most importantly! You will not give her blood until she is ready and asks for it herself. Am I understood?' Nodding his head, David watched the woman from the corner of his eye as she passed Paul the gravy and then took another bun for herself. For once, he was agreeing with his sire.

'Yeah. I'll take care of it.'


	7. This Is Not A Dream!

When dinner was over, David stood after Faer had moved to leave the room. It had been decided earlier that since she and Lucy had cooked all day, it would be unfair to make them clean it up and so everyone, including Max's boys much to their disdain, would be pitching in to clean up the mess. Following her into the living room, David grabbed her arm, halting her from going to sit upon the couch before he pulled her towards the stairs and up, leading her into her bedroom where he shut the door.

"da…david?" she asked as he pushed her onto the bed before he shut and locked the door. Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, he tried to think about how he would do this. He had never spoken to someone about what he really was in such a calm manner. It was always a series of taunts and games, manipulation and scare tactics to get them to submit but here, he couldn't do any of that. He needed to act like the hundred and thirty year old vampire that he was and tell her that her life had been decided for her. "You noticed the food didn't you?" Quick to come to the right conclusion, Faer waited for him to turn around and when he did, she tried to stamp down the quickening pace of her heart and the fear that filled her body.

"We noticed." he said, his yellow sunken eyes staring at her coldly as he watched her reaction. He was surprised she hadn't screamed yet or even tried to back away from him. Instead she just sat still, taking semi deep breaths so he didn't notice as she tried to control her pounding heart. "Scared Faer?" he asked as he showed her his fangs to see her reaction. He knew he was frightening her even more, but he had to know how she would react to all of this. Would she be fine, or would she be hesitant and scared like the Emersons had originally been. He really hoped it wasn't the later.

After a moment, she swallowed the lump in her throat before she stood slowly and took a step towards him, much to his shock. The entire time, her eyes were trained on his, never faltering as she approached him. When she was before him, she slowly raised a hand. "Do you mind?" she asked, for once showing some emotion in her hesitancy. He didn't answer her, just stared back at her silently with those cold, piercing eyes and taking that as a "no he didn't", she reached forward and gently touched his face, feeling every detail that his animalistic side pronounced. "Does it hurt?" she questioned him as she ran her fingers along one of his pronounced cheek bones before he reached up and grasped her hands in his, stopping her exploration immediately as she lowered her head beneath his cold stare.

"Look at me." he ordered. Slowly, she raised her head. Her eyes tentatively looking at him. "Are you scared?" he asked again.

"a...are you going to hurt me?" she asked him in return.

"No."

"Then no, I'm not." Within a second she found herself upon her bed, David over her with his teeth grazing her neck. She tensed immediately, as he grasped the back of her hair and pulled her head to the side, exposing more of her neck that he enjoyed running his fangs over, feeling the shiver run through her body in response.

"And what if I was lying? Then would you be afraid?" It was silent for a moment, the sound of her heart beating rapidly filling the silence before it returned to normal and her shaking stopped.

"I don't believe you. You're impatient. If you were going to kill me you would have done it by now." Chuckling after a moment, David sat up, looking down at her as he straddled her hips keeping her pinned.

"Smart girl. Very smart girl." he said as he reached out to caress her cheek. "But you're also foolish. You could have had a choice you know. A choice that to our kind is so very rare."

"I know." she whispered as she closed her eyes, subconsciously pressing her face into the palm of his hand.

"Then why did you give it up?" That had been the one question that had been bugging him the most since dinner had started and he had begun to eat her food. "Why did you have us make the decision for you?"

"But I didn't." Her words surprised him and staring at her, he watched as she smiled at him. For once, she was smiling and there was nothing in her hands to keep her content to warrant it, to pull it from her when she forgot that they were in the room and she was pleased with whatever it was she was doing. It was a simple smile, meant just for him.

"What do you mean?" Faer giggled, her eyes misting slightly as she turned to look out the window.

"I've known I had a choice for a while now. Aunt Lucy and Max have been discussing it, trying to figure out when they thought it would be best to approach me with it since I'm on the mend. They never said what my choice was. But when I figured out what this family was…when I thought I had figured it out, especially after watching you guys on the Boardwalk for six nights and seeing the people on the backs of your bikes end up on the Missing Person's board…I knew my choice was that I would either have to live in ignorance and give up the rest of my family and leave or…stay and become one myself."

"Aren't you scared to become like us? Aren't you frightened by what it means to be like us?" Silence greeted him for a moment before she looked back at him and shook her head.

"No." David frowned at the simple answer.

"Why not?" he asked, a growl coming to his voice. Nothing about her was making sense at the moment.

"Because my family is here." Looking at him with dead seriousness, she spoke. "You want to know what terrifies me? Being alone terrifies me. Having no one to turn to, talk to, terrifies me. If I had chosen ignorance, then I would have nothing. My parents are dead, my father's family won't acknowledge me. The only ones I have left are here. Can I not say I want to remain even if it means becoming something else?"

"Can you live with killing people in order to survive? Your family is finding the notion difficult and at the moment they're putting off their fates. Michael of course didn't have much of a choice in finishing his transformation but Lucy is half and holding off and Sam is still human for now. In time they'll both have to finish the transformation and make their first kills but the fact of the matter is that even when they do, they won't fully accept what it is they've become. They'll survive off of donated blood. Will you do the same? Or will you accept fully what it is you will become?" Making sure he held her gaze as he spoke, David waited for her answer. He really didn't want another vampire who refused to kill.

"This is the murder capital of the world right? I'm sure there will be plenty of sinners to feed off of." To say he was floored was an understatement. David could not for the undead life of him, figure out how in the world she was so accepting of the whole situation and grasping her chin, he allowed his animalistic side to come out once more before he made a shallow cut upon her neck with his claw and leaned down to lick up the blood that floated to the surface.

Nothing. The blood was clean. He had been sure he would have tasted some form of drug or at least a bit of alcohol in her system, but there was nothing. She was completely lucid and what made him even more confused was that during the entire thing, her heartbeat had remained steady. Sitting back up, he stared at her for a minute while she finally began to grow unnerved by his gaze and turned her head back towards the window, a slight blush staining her cheeks.

"Why did you do that?" she asked breaking the silence.

"I was testing your blood. You're too calm for it to be natural." he said without hesitation. He had never seen someone act so calm in this situation before, not even he himself had been this calm when he had been turned by Max and neither had his brothers. It was unnatural.

"I'm not on anything. I haven't taken pain pills in weeks."

"Then react correctly." he said grasping her face once more and leaning down to get in her face, his voice serious. "This is not a dream Faer. There is no waking from this. You're going to become a vampire. You're going to become immortal, feed off of the blood of humans and live in the dark for eternity. The sun will never touch your skin again without agony following in its wake. You'll never see a blue sky and white clouds without feeling pain, you'll watch as the world around you ages and dies. That will be your world. Do you understand now?!"

"I understand what I'm leaving behind David. And I'm fine with it." David was pissed now and wrapping his hand about her throat so he had her complete attention, he held her tightly.

"HOW?! HOW CAN YOU BE OK WITH THAT!?" he yelled, ignoring the loud commotion coming from downstairs as his voice carried through the house.

'David what are you doing?!' hissed Max in his mind.

'Stay out of this! You want a new member to the family, she'll have to answer to me!'

'She's still human! I told you specifically not to harass her!'

'She's not even scared Max. So stay out of this.' The last part of their silent conversation had Max freezing in surprise. Faer wasn't even scared?

'That's…that's not possible. She should be frightened at least a little.' David inwardly scoffed as he looked down at the woman beneath him.

'She's not even batting an eye and according to her it's partially your fault.'

'Mine!? How is it mine?'

'When you and Lucy seem to think everyone else is asleep and have your nightly talks? Guess whose listening? And even more, I think the magic failed because she's living here.'

'Damn it. I should have known she would have started to adjust her sleeping schedule to ours. As for the magic, that could be it, though part of me thinks it's because she knows half of the people living here. It's been several decades since I started using this magic and unfortunately I can't remember if the magic is susceptible to people who live in close proximity of us or if it's people who know those within the family.'

'Well it doesn't really matter now does it?' asked David in a condescending tone.

'Watch it boy!'

'Whatever. Leave me alone. Faer is starting to wonder if I'm alright.'

'Well at least someone cares about your disobedient ass.'

'You wound me, dad.'

'You are so close to being banished David. You are on thin ice!'

'Then do it and get it over with already! You've always regretted turning me so just banish me and be done with it!' The tone of anger and finality in his voice must have shocked Max because he didn't say anything more. In fact, David almost thought he felt some form of shock through the bond they carried.

Now angered for an entirely different reason, David turned yellow eyes towards Faer once more, however she looked at him confused and concerned before he noticed that he was actually panting, he was so angry. Things between him and Max had really been rocky for a while and with the Emersons joining them, it had gone from rocky to near cataclysmic and truth be told, he was starting to get really tired of it. He didn't feel like he would get to enjoy this life for much longer and even then, he feared that when it changed, he would wind up alone.

Watching him with perceptive eyes, Faer could see the underlying pain hiding beneath his anger and with the way his arms were shaking and how he kept gritting his teeth, she knew that for some reason, David needed a moment of her understanding, even if she was clueless to the reason why.

"Come here." she said, unfazed by his anger as she began to pull him down gently, her voice soft as she cooed to him. David, lost in his anger, refused at first, but soon he gave in, allowing his body to settle atop hers with his head resting upon her chest as she wrapped one arm about his back and ran her other through his hair. The feeling was nice and he soon felt his anger dissipating to be left with confusion.

How was it that she had controlled him so easily? He had never been controlled like this, not unless Max pulled power over him which, that itself hadn't been done in several decades. He, the vampire bad boy and the deadliest creature in Santa Carla, had been brought down in seconds by a human woman. Of course, he thought, part of it had to do with all of his fighting with Max and the fear that his sire might for once take his words to heart. If it meant going out on his own, he wasn't ready to leave. Not unless he was able to take his brothers with him.

"David?" came her quiet voice as she ran her hand through his hair, her long nails just lightly grazing his scalp. He had to admit, it felt nice and the softness of her breasts beneath his head was divine as well.

"What?" he asked.

"I…I don't know what went on a few minutes ago. But I know it wasn't because of something I had said. If…if you want to talk about it. I'll listen. I won't judge and I won't say anything to anyone either." Now that was surprising. No one had ever offered to just listen. Not even his brothers. With them, it had just sort of happened. Dwayne was a natural listener and as his second in command, it was his job to calm him down when he got too riled up. Marko was his replacement when he wasn't around. Both listened well and they gave good advice but they had never offered their ears before.

"Thanks, but no." he said after a minute. "If I told you what had happened, it would set off a whole other argument."

"It was Max wasn't it?" Groaning, David turned his head into her chest, smirking slightly when he heard her heartbeat speed up quite a bit before he laid his head flat once more.

"Why do you have to be so damn perceptive?" He could feel her shrug a bit before her one arm tightened slightly.

"It's safer that way." she replied quietly.

"It's also more painful."

"For now." she said much to his surprise. "Maybe one day, it won't hurt anymore." Once again, silence descended over the two. While Faer thought about the future, David was still partially thinking about Max and partially about the position he found himself in. Laying atop Faer like this was actually comfortable. But more importantly, he was worried about what it meant. Something was wrong with him. This was the fourth time she had taken control over him and each time she had made it look like child's play.

The first was when she had rescued him from Max's ire that first meeting. The second was when she had blackmailed him. The third was him not having a choice about showing up tonight and lastly, when she had pulled him down into their current predicament. He had tried to resist at first, but…her soft voice, her calm demeanor, her scent…Her scent?! Since when did he pay attention to a female's scent other than how good her blood smelt before he chose his dinner?!

'Oh shit.' he thought as an idea as to why struck him. But no, there was no way. It was absolute crap. There was No. Way!

"David?" Coming out of thoughts, David stared at the window before him, not moving from the nails that were so wonderfully scratching his scalp.

"Hmm?" he question.

"if…if I tell you something. Will you laugh?"

"Depends on how stupid it is."

"never mind." she said adjusting herself.

"Tell me."

"But you'll laugh."

"I'll try to contain my amusement."

"o…ok. Going back to our previous conversation. I…I think the reason I'm so accepting of this is because…well…I've never really had friends. I know boo hoo, but…I've never really had anyone to get along with, to share my likes with. But here…it's so nice. I have Sam to be geeky with, Michael, I can tell just about anything too. Star, I can be girly with, Laddie, sisterly too and you guys I can hang out with. At least, if you continue to come around like you have, I can. That is…if you don't mind."

"Do you think I come to Max's house for no reason?" he deadpanned, listening as her heartbeat sped up again.

"no?"

"Then why say something so stupid."

"sorry."

"Keep going."

"oh…uh…I…" letting out a sigh, she turned her head to look out the window. "If I'm being honest, Lucy and Max have been more of a mother and father to me than my own ever were and I've only been here a month. I…I don't want to leave. I don't want to give all of this up, not when I just found it. Not when I feel like, I'm finally in a place where I don't have to constantly prove myself to be worthy of a look or even a glance. I'm so tired of fighting to be noticed and here…I just seem to fit right in."

David was quiet for a minute as he laid atop her. As she had spoken, he had made himself more comfortable, wrapping his arms under her back and head so he was returning the embrace while he had moved his head to lay upon her shoulder instead of her chest, the sound of her heart not as loud now to his ears as he listened to her. He would never admit it, but the position felt nice.

"You shouldn't praise us so much. We're not always so nice." he said trying not to react. Faer was off limits and he was too much of a player to commit himself to one, especially one who was still a human. Of course, the thought was tempting, very tempting. She smelt so good to him. Wait! No. Hell no! She did not smell good to him! Besides, her true colors still needed to be revealed and those wouldn't show until after she had turned. If she even turned that is. Star had been a whole different person before she had found out the truth and time would only tell for Faer as well. Pausing when she cupped his cheek and raised his gaze to meet hers, David was surprised by what she said next.

"Then let me be a fool." Gaze unwavering, David found himself impressed with her. "This is my life David. It is mine to do with what I will and I choose to be part of this family. So if you think me a fool for doing so, then let me be a fool. I do not regret my decision."

"And what if when you turn fully you do? What will you do then?" he asked returning the serious gaze and without hesitation, she answered.

"Then I'll step into the light and save you the trouble of another Star." As much as he was surprised by her words, David felt anger crawling up his throat once more and grasping her hair roughly he pulled her head back and bared his fangs.

"Another Star or not, do not ever let me hear you say that again. Do you understand me?! You will do No. Such. Thing!"

"will you stop me?" she whispered looking at him and catching something in her eyes, David quickly glowered at her before he let her go and stood up.

"Don't be stupid. I couldn't care less. I just don't want to listen to Lucy bitch when she finds out you committed suicide." With that, he turned on his heel and left, deftly ignoring the small amount of guilt that welled up in his chest as he said those words. "We're going." he said to his boys as he ignored the others, namely Max. Getting on his bike, he started the engine before he took off, gritting his teeth when he realized that she was sitting upon her window ledge, watching him ride away with her usual stoic gaze.


	8. BABYSITTING!

"We're home!" Walking into the house with his usual smug attitude, David paused when he noticed that Lucy hadn't come to greet them as usual and neither Faer nor Star were in the living room. Normally, Lucy or Star being gone wouldn't have been a problem, but Faer not being in the living room was unusual. She was always in there. And considering that Lucy's car was still in the driveway along with Michael's bike, he didn't think the women had gone anywhere. If anything, he figured Max would be gone, which would be odd since he had been the one to summon them to the house.

"Ah! Boys. How good of you to make another appearance." said Max as he appeared from the kitchen. Now David knew something was up. He didn't let his car go anywhere without him. "So, have you had a lovely vacation away from the house?" Normally, Max didn't mind their long absences, but apparently the spring of two week intervals between appearances was too much even for Max, which was the reason, they were guessing, why they had been summoned.

"You do know your car is missing." said Paul with a smirk while he waited for Max to react. However, Max didn't, he simply clasped his hands behind his back and stared at Paul unamused.

"I know my car is gone. Lucy has it. It's far safer and in better condition than the one she has." he said before he watched David cross his arms.

"What do you want Max?" he asked, getting straight to the point.

"Enough David. I have no desire to get into it with you tonight. Now all of you into the living room. I have called a family meeting so go join Sam and Laddie." Scowling, the boys did as told, each taking their seats before Laddie bounded over to Dwayne and sat down upon his lap with a happy grin.

"Where are the girl's and Michael?" asked David. "If this is a family meeting, shouldn't they be here too?"

"Yes, but this time no. They will not be joining us, simply because they are eighteen hundred miles away in Kansas at the moment."

"WHAT?!"

"SIT DOWN NOW!" said Max as he used his power over his boys to make them obey him before they shot out the door and did who knows what.

"Do you know what you've done?! They'll expose us!" shouted David outraged as he fought against the hold of his sire. He hated not having free will when Max did this. It constantly reminded him that no matter how much power he thought he had, Max could bring him down in a second if he wanted.

"They will do no such thing." said Max. "Faer has a household she needs to take care of in Kansas City. They took three nights to get there, and they will spend the week taking care of business and packing and then return with a u-haul driven by Michael. Lucy has and will continue to keep me informed but until then I need your help with the boys." At this, Sam groaned, throwing his head back against the chair he was sitting in.

"I don't need to be looked after. I can take care of Laddie and myself just fine during the day and food wise, I can cook some. I'm not completely helpless, I've done just fine for the past three days." Sighing himself, Max looked at Sam.

"I know that Sam and I thank you, but you're a young boy in school with his own set of responsibilities. You have a paper and three tests this week along with your homework, so I want you to concentrate on that please. The only thing I am asking of you is for you to get Laddie to the bus stop and back home. Is that understood?" Nodding his head after a moment, Sam conceded.

"Ok."

"Good."

"So you want us to babysit?!" asked Paul with an incredulous expression. He didn't want to be stuck watching over Sam and Laddie for a week.

"Yes Paul, I want you to help watch your brothers. You're used to watching Laddie and Sam will be busy studying most of the time so it shouldn't be too much trouble. Besides, this is the last week of school. Come Friday the children will be on winter break for Christmas and New Years."

"Wonderful." muttered David unamused.

"And with the time it will take to get back here with Michael and Star being unable to travel during the day. The four of them should be back sometime next Monday or Tuesday night." Listening to his boys groan, Max couldn't be more pleased. Maybe this week would help them get along a little better. They really did pick on Sam too much, well that and it would give Dwayne plenty of time with Laddie. The older vampire really did love the child a lot.

"We're not doing it." growled David pulling him from his thoughts.

"You will and you will stay here while you're at it as well. That is not an option David and you will accept it. You may have an hour every night to hunt, but until they get back you will watch your brothers and stay away from the Boardwalk. Is that understood." Continuing to growl, David and the boys quickly found themselves submitting to Max's command. There would be no getting out of this and so they accepted defeat. "Good. Now you all know where your room is. Dwayne, I want Laddie in bed at eight. Sam, you know yours. I've ordered pizza for you all so dinner is taken cared of for the night and with that, I'm off to work. Good night."

Listening to the sound of the car fade, all of the boys just sighed. None of them were happy with the situation but there was nothing they could do. After a moment of silence, Sam stood and walked into the kitchen. The pizza had arrived not too long before the guys had and so grabbing a couple slices and a can of soda, he made to go upstairs when a voice froze him.

"And where do you think you're going?" asked David, his voice cold as he watched him with a calculating glare.

"To study. Max wasn't lying when he said I have tests and tomorrow it's Algebra." Turning away from them and continuing upstairs, the guys could hear Sam mutter to himself. "ax2+bx+c=0. Mmm, maybe the quadratic formula would be best? What…what was it again?" Hearing the door shut behind him, Paul sighed.

"Man, glad I'm not him." Nodding their heads in agreement, the guys looked at each other before they stood and went into the kitchen to eat. It was going to be a long week.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Hey, Aunt Lucy?" asked Faer as she and the others packed items into boxes. It was the third day that they had been there and Lucy and Faer had quickly divided everything into two groups. The keep pile that they would take to Santa Carla and the giveaway pile that they would donate to the needy. With Michael and Star loading the truck during the night and them packing boxes through part of the day and most of the night as well, it was all going pretty fast.

"Yes dear?" asked Lucy.

"Um…I…" biting her lip, Faer tried to hide the blush that crossed her face as she tried to gather the courage to speak.

"What is it dear? You can tell me." said Lucy with a reassuring smile.

"Well. Um…Christmas is coming up soon and I was wondering…is there enough room for me to fit some Christmas presents in?" Lucy blinked at her niece. She hadn't been expecting Faer to worry about such a thing when she was packing up her house to begin her new life with them, but apparently she was more worried about her new family than anything else.

"Well. We did get a pretty large u-haul and you're giving away quite a bit, so I don't see why not. What did you have in mind?"

"Well…" pausing for a minute, Faer looked around searching for something.

"I sent them out to get something to eat. They're going to feed and then they'll bring us back something, so go on dear."

"Oh. Well. I already have your guys' presents since I was going to send them earlier this month if things hadn't happened, but I was thinking more about the others. Mainly the boys." Voice dying as she looked away, Faer sighed in relief when Lucy smiled.

"You really like them don't you?" asked Lucy with a knowing smile.

"They're refreshing. I know they have a bad reputation, but that doesn't bother me."

"That makes me happy then. Things between us, Max and the boys have been rocky. It's really starting to wear on me, Sam and Laddie. But maybe with you there dear, things might start to change. And as long as you're happy, then I'm glad for you."

"Thanks Aunt Lucy."

"Sweety, just call me Lucy. It's fine."

"ok." Smiling softly at her Aunt, Faer took a minute to calm her nerves when it came to talking about the boys before she pushed on. "Um…well Star and I have been talking a lot. She doesn't understand why I like them so much, but she doesn't seem to mind that I keep them occupied. She says that since I've been here, Michael and them haven't been fighting as much as they normally do."

"That is true. Normally, David and Michael get into tuffs every couple of days and Marko and Paul are pretty big on picking on Sam. Oh, I do hope they're doing well at home. Max keeps telling me that everything is fine, but I do worry."

"Hmm. So their behavior really has changed quite a bit."

"Yup. The most noticeable though is how David treats me. He hasn't tried to rile me up or patronize me as he used to. In fact, I think he treats me more cordial than anything now. He even asked one night if I needed a ride to the store when my car was giving me problems." Voice dying a bit as she relived that shocking moment, Lucy shook her head before she looked back to Faer. "But it makes me glad that the boys seem to be settling some around me anyway. But back to the conversation. What all did Star tell you?"

"Well, since they all know that I know the big secret now, she was more willing to tell me about where the guys lived since they don't live with us. She said it was an old hotel that looked like a cave. A huge bachelor's pad, was what she called it."

"Yes and the place is a large mess as well. I don't know how they can stand it."

"Well, they've lived there for decades. I think they're used to it." said Faer as she giggled at her aunt's confused expression. "But…I was thinking. I'm not very big on my bedroom set and my parents we're donating along with most of the furniture. If we can figure it out, do you think I could maybe give Laddie my bedroom set? Laddie is getting bigger, he's ten now and soon he'll need a new bedroom set. I've had mine since I was twelve and it's in great condition and it's not girly. He'd like it and then you and Max wouldn't have to worry about that in the future." Lucy was taken back. Such a gift for Laddie?

"I…I don't know what to say dear. That would be wonderful but…what about you? Don't you want your own bed instead of the one in the guest bedroom?"

"I do, but I want the one in the guest bedroom here. When mom decided to redesign the room she let me pick out the furniture and I did so with the thought of buying it off of them when I moved out. So that's what I want."

"Oh, well then yes. That would be a wonderful present for Laddie. Anything else?"

"Well, my entertainment center is in the guest bedroom so that gets counted with that but…I was wondering if you would mind if we brought the green couch and black chair? I'm not sure how we would do it, but I would like to give those to the boys. Star said, all of their furniture was old and hard."

"I'm sure we could fit them."

"Really?!" Faer was happy. She really wanted to get back on the boys' good side. Since Thanksgiving dinner, David and the boys hadn't returned and she had the thought that the reason why was because of her and David's conversation. As much as she was sorry that they hadn't come to the house, she wasn't sorry for what she said, because she meant all of it. She wanted to stay with everyone and she didn't regret her decision.

"Really. Now come on. We need to finish packing since it will take another day to load everything up. I'm hoping we can maybe get home a few days early since so much of this is going to charity."

"Ok. Um. Do you mind finishing up here? I'm going to go pack a couple more boxes before they get back. I want to put some more presents in them so it's all a complete surprise."

"Ok, you go on."

"Thanks Lucy!" Running off, Faer had a smile on her face. She was excited to pack away her presents. They may have been her parents' at one point, but she really hoped that her new family would like them just as much.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

It was Sunday and everyone in the Herrman and Emerson household was exhausted. Tempers were high and everyone had found themselves at each other's throats at one point or another during the week that had passed. What had surprised them the most thought was that life without the women around was surprisingly difficult now. Apparently, they had become accustomed to the warm words and soothing voices they gave when the males found themselves with hot tempers. The well wishes, the offers to stitch up their clothes or speak with Max on their behalf to compromise on something. All of the little things they had taken for granted over the past two years since the Emersons had entered their life, the guys now found themselves missing.

But what all of the males missed the most, was the cooking. Sure, they had turned to fast food when it was discovered that the only dish Sam really knew how to make was Mac and Cheese and Max and the boys had all burned their attempted dishes as well, so the appeal of something made fresh and with care drove them to crave the women's touch in their lives. They really hoped they would be back soon.

'This is bullshit.' thought David with a sigh as he sat out in the garage working on his bike. Dwayne and Paul had taken Laddie and Sam to the Boardwalk since it was break and they were starting to get restless being trapped at home while Marko and himself had decided to stick around and work on their bikes. Everything had been going good, until he realized that the repairs he wanted to do, he just couldn't concentrate on.

"Everything alright?" asked Marko as he came to sit beside him. The curly haired vampire might have been the second youngest of the bunch, but he was a good listener like Dwayne and David felt at ease telling the vampire his troubles when he wanted some advice. If he just wanted an ear, then he talked to Dwayne who would only listen and not speak most of the time.

"I'm fine." he said, not sure himself why he was having trouble. He knew that Faer and the others were on their way back. Max had told them that they had finished early and begun the drive home with everyone. No runaways like he had feared. So why…

"It's about Faer isn't it?" asked Marko with a knowing grin. He had been wondering why they had stayed away for so long again, but what had really confused him was his brother's attitude when he had come down from talking to her that night, not to mention all of the yelling they had heard beforehand.

"I…I don't know Marko. I honestly don't know."

"What happened that night?" he asked, trying to give him somewhere to start.

"We talked." he said quickly with a firm voice before he sighed once more and ran his hand through his hair. "I…she doesn't get it Marko. She doesn't understand what she's doing. I showed her. I showed her what we were and all she did was ask me if it hurt. She didn't scream, she didn't back away from me. She didn't do anything."

"Maybe her pain pills were still affecting her?"

"No. I tested her blood. It was clean and she even told me so when she asked what I was doing."

"What did you do then?"

"I tried to scare her. I told her that this wasn't a dream. That she would have to kill to survive. That she would never feel the sun again or be able to leave the coven. That her life was over now."

"And then?" asked Marko with a soft voice.

"She told me she didn't regret her decision. That she understood everything she was giving up. Marko, she doesn't care! That's what pisses me off! She had a choice and she just doesn't care!" Standing up, he threw the wrench that had been in his hand away from him, pacing back and forth as he tried to think.

"Shouldn't that make you happy? That for once you don't have to trick someone into joining us?" Watching David move about, Marko paused for a second when another thought crossed his mind. "Or do you not want her to join us?" he asked carefully before David stopped and turned to him.

"Don't get any notions in your head Marko. I don't want another Star or Emerson family. They're enough trouble as it is. It's going to be a big sob fest when the others have to make their first kills and I don't know about you, but I plan on leaving Max to clean up the mess."

"And what if she's like us? What if she accepts being a vampire?"

"Then good! But…"

"You asked her didn't you? You asked her what she would do if she couldn't accept being a vampire."

"What of it?"

"That's what's bothering you. Whatever it is that she said to you is what has been eating at you. Tell me." David knew that wasn't a request. When Marko had found the heart of a problem, he tended to push until he got what he wanted, even if the person he was pushing was his leader.

"You won't like it, just like me." he warned the young vampire, locking eyes with him.

"I think I can handle this. Now tell me." he said again. Sighing, David sat down once more next to his brother, his voice soft now as he spoke.

"She said that if she found she couldn't handle being one of us, then she would step into the light and die. That she didn't want to be another annoyance to us if that happened." The silence was thick as Marko took in his words. He couldn't believe Faer would say such a thing. That she would actually commit suicide to spare them the trouble of dealing with her? Looking at his brother, Marko knew that he hadn't said everything.

"What did you say?"

"I grabbed her chin and told her that she would not do such a thing. That she was not allowed to even think about it." Running his hand through his hair, David sighed. "She asked me if I would stop her."

"And…?" David didn't speak. "What did you say David?" asked Marko knowing that whatever it was, it had been bad.

"I told her I didn't care what she did. That I just didn't want to hear Lucy bitch. Then I left her there." A minute passed in silence, Marko utterly stunned by what David had done. His brother was many things but when it came to someone tossing away their life who actually had a chance of living, apart from their killings, then he was known to actually show some form of caring. Sometimes he even saw David buy food for some of the children who struggled along the Boardwalk. It wasn't much but sometimes those kids who David approached appeared on the Found Board next to the Missing Persons soon after. He never knew what it was that David saw in them apart from maybe the occasional feeling of guilt that passed through all of them, but if David cared for those children, then why was he showing nothing for Faer? The woman who had seemingly held his gaze since the moment she had gotten here.

"HOW COULD YOU?!" he cried. "She's asking for your approval! She has chosen to join this family and she asked if you cared and all you say is you don't want to hear Lucy bitch if she commits suicide! David! That's low, even for you!" he finished in rage. He had never seen his brother act so nonchalant about someone. Not even when Michael had attacked him and tried to kill him before Max had sat down with Lucy to explain everything. That should have been a circumstance where he wanted to kill someone, where he shouldn't have cared if they got hurt or not. But no, he had instead told Michael that he didn't want to kill him. That he wanted him to join them, to stop fighting them and he didn't even like Michael back then, still didn't. Now, a person in the family that he actually didn't mind being around, apart from his brothers, and he had told them he didn't care if they died?! This wasn't the David he knew.

"SHUT UP!" shouted David with anger. "Don't you think I know that?! You want to know what has me confused Marko?! It's not what I said. It's her reaction to what I said. When we were driving away, she was watching us from her room as though nothing had happened. She had completely swept what I had said under the rug. That's what's bothering me!"

"What, so because you didn't get your thrills off of her reaction like you do with everyone else around you, that's why you're so pissed?!"

"No!"

"Then what?! Why would you say something like that! She's our sister now. A sister we actually like! And she chose to stay with us when she could have left us behind and you're making her regret it!"

"SHUT UP!" yelled David as he turned feral eyes onto Marko. However, before they could continue their fight, the two of them paused when lights came up the driveway and they saw that it was Max's car with Lucy and Faer in it while Michael and Star drove the u-haul behind them. The two of them blinked in shock. They must have really been caught up in their little fight to not notice a car and truck coming up the long ass driveway where Max had his house. Thankfully, it was just the others and not someone looking to hurt them.

"He, they're back really early." said Marko with a woot as he reverted back to his usual demeanor and left David standing alone in the garage to collect himself.

"Oh Marko! It's so good to see you!" said Lucy as she got out of the passenger's side and gently cupped the cherubic vampire's face. Marko wasn't one really for affection, it only added to his already sweet and almost childlike appearance and he hated having it exploited. But he allowed Lucy to shower him with such mostly because she was his "mother" and two, she cooked really well and patched up his beloved jacket with the utmost care every time he brought it to her with a new hole. She never scolded him, or sighed, just smiled and took it into the living room where she kept her sewing basket and there she would stitch it up good as new while asking him how he was and if he had completed any new paintings or drawings that she could see. In his book, Lucy was good and he would entertain her motherly instincts, mostly because he wanted something to hold onto when Max finally got tired of them and threw them out of Santa Carla. "How have you been?" she asked.

"I've been doing fine Mrs. Herrman." said Marko with a grin as he used her new title. "Been keeping the house all in order for you." Looking at him surprised, Lucy looked at her house before she smiled and turned back to him.

"Oh, that's wonderful. Where are the others?"

"Well, Dwayne and Paul took Sam and Laddie to the Boardwalk since Winter Break's begun, Max is at work as usual and David's in the garage." At the mention of David's name, Faer looked over to the garage and locked eyes with the bleach blonde vampire for a moment before she turned away and walked over to the U-Haul where Michael and Star were getting out. Marko could now see what David meant. She was completely unfazed by him and his last words to her. However, his attention to their newest member was cut short when Lucy demanded his attention once more. She was asking them to help them unload the U-Haul tomorrow night and knowing that it would irk David for having to be close to Faer, he heartily agreed for both him and his brothers.


	9. Some Things You Need To Know

"Alright. So I've got lasagna in the oven and a chocolate cake in the fridge. When dinner's read we can take a break from unloading everything but until then let's get busy. Honey?" said Lucy as she turned towards Max who was standing happily beside his wife. He was so happy they were back. The week had been hell and he couldn't wait with the other boys to eat some home cooking once more. Oh, how he had missed his wife's cooking.

"Thank you dear." said Max as he looked at everyone, eyeing his boys especially as they scowled at Marko who was grinning from ear to ear. It wasn't hard to tell that he had been the one to rope them into this. "Well now, it would appear that there are quite a bit of things to unpack so I'm going to ask that everyone be careful while doing so. Star, I want you to watch Laddie please. Lucy dear, if you would be so kind, please take Michael and Marko upstairs and move the furniture in Faer's room out, so we can put in her own. Then when you're done with that, please do the same to Michael and Star's room."

"Of course honey. Where do you want us to put the others?"

"Set them in Paul's room." None of the boys were surprised that Max had finally decided to use their "rooms" for something else. When he had bought the house, he had immediately hired some contractors to come in and divide the large basement into six decent sized rooms with a play area for Laddie. Michael and Star had claimed one room as their own while Laddie had taken the one next to them. The remaining four were for Max's boys as he had wanted them to move in and be a "real" family. The boys however had outright refused and even when they were forced to stay the night, they all slept in one room. It was the way they had done things for decades, it was what made them comfortable, especially considering how rocky their relationship with Max was. So, that left three rooms open for other uses and it appeared that now they were going to receive them.

"Ok. Come on boys, let's get busy." said Lucy with a smile as she motioned for them to follow her. Michael and Marko quickly did, not wanting to upset the, for once, calm atmosphere with objections to their assigned task.

"Everyone else, please listen to Faer. She's going to tell you where each item goes and I expect you to listen. Now, let's get busy." Nodding their heads, everyone turned towards the truck, hoping it would go by quickly. Those hopes soon vanished when the door was opened.

"Don't worry. It's mostly big stuff." assured Faer as she watched Star take Laddie inside. It had been decided earlier in the week that Star would keep Laddie occupied during the unloading so they could get his present into Marko's room downstairs for easy reaching later on when it was time to unveil it. But first, they had to clear out the boxes in front of the furniture before she could show them all her surprise. So, handing them boxes one at a time, Faer told them all where they were going. Most of them ended up in Dwayne's room while a few others were set in the hallway upstairs until the furniture was moved into place. All in all, the boxes were unloaded quickly until all that remained were the pieces of furniture. "Dwayne come here." she said as she beckoned the quiet male over to her. "What do you think?" Pointing to the furniture, she waited quietly as he looked it all over. It was decent set. A lightly stained bedroom set with a twin sized bed, nightstand and dresser.

"What is it for?" he asked turning his eyes back to Faer who was standing in front of the others.

"It's for Laddie." she said much to their surprise. "It's part of his Christmas present from me. We're going to put it in Marko's room for now while Star keeps him occupied so we can replace his old furniture on Christmas. Do you think he will like it?" she asked hesitantly, honestly worried about how the gift would be received. Smiling as he turned his gaze back to the set, Dwayne nodded his head.

"He will love it."

"Oh good! So that set goes to Marko's room. The one behind it goes to Michael and Star's room and the one in the back goes to my room." The boys all groaned. She had brought three bedroom sets with her?!

"Why do you have so much?!" groused Paul as he picked up the nightstand for Laddie's bedroom.

"Well, the set in your hands was mine. The one for Michael and Star was my parents, though we got a replacement mattress on the way home, and the last one is the guest bedroom set that I chose for me. So that's why I have three. Because I'm selling the house in Kansas City and everything in it that didn't make it onto this truck was donated to Charity. So in essence, everything that I have to my name is right here and a good chunk of it is early Christmas presents." she said in explanation while they all just raised an eyebrow. At the moment it was the four of them. Sam had gone inside to help Michael and Marko with clearing the rooms while Max had been called into work for an irate customer who refused to deal with Maria since she wasn't the owner. The boys had a very good thought that tonight Max would feed his primal side for the first time in a while. All of his problem customers had a way of never coming back again.

"So does this mean we don't get anything on Christmas?" asked Paul with a pout. She hadn't said anything about Christmas presents for them and so he assumed that she hadn't thought to get them anything. Max never did mainly because he didn't think they deserved anything. Smiling now, Faer laughed lightly.

"I didn't say that now did I, Paul? I have presents for all of you. You guys just brought them in in the boxes already. So hush. And as for early presents…well, you guys have one or two on the truck still. You just need to move the bedroom sets first." Jumping off of the truck when Lucy began to call dinner, Faer turned towards them as she walked to the house. "Of course, those might be your only presents if you guys don't come to Christmas dinner next week."

The boys watched surprised as she disappeared into the house. She had gotten them all presents and even two early ones that were on the truck? The boys were confused but they found they weren't complaining. Apart from their little group, no one had ever gotten them anything. For some reason, the notion that she cared enough to even think about them felt nice and for the first time since their conversation three weeks ago, David found himself smiling before they walked to the house and took their place at the table. Normally, they had to sit in the living room as the table wasn't large enough for everyone, but apparently Lucy had had Michael and Marko set up the extra tables and chairs before she had called for everyone. It felt nice to be included and for the first time since the Emmersons had joined them, David didn't feel so annoyed by their presence.

"Everyone pass the plates down. Laddie be careful hon, the lasagna is hot." Doing as told, everyone passed down the plates until they all had their own before the same was done with a plate of garlic bread. Marko chuckled as Paul groaned, still remembering what had happened on Thanksgiving when he had showed up high. Eyeing the woman sitting beside him wearily, he quickly took the plate and passed it on, forgoing the treat. "All right everyone. Let's dig in."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Dinner was a quick affair. When they were through everyone went back to their tasks while Lucy and Sam cleaned up the kitchen. The boys eagerly began to unload the moving truck, getting the three bedroom sets into their rightful places and set up before they returned to the truck, Marko with them this time.

"Let me see! Let me see!" Paul was ecstatic with his excitement. He really wanted to know what their present was. All they had to do was lift the separator in the truck keeping them hidden.

"I hope you guys like them. I'm not sure how you'll get them home, I mean we can drive the truck so far, but Star and I were thinking with your increased strength and the ability to fly, you guys might be able to do it." Faer was nervous. She really hoped they liked her gifts. Suddenly, she was drawn from her thoughts when a hand was placed on her shoulder. It was David and he was giving her an encouraging smirk.

"I'm sure we'll figure out a way. Now, let us see what you brought." Nodding her head, she went to open the separator, confused by his actions. David could be so…topsy turvy. He was quick to anger, but calculative, manipulative and yet if you got to know him, you would see a kinder side, a more appreciative side to him. This was the first time she was this side of him with anger before and it felt…nice. It made her heart flutter but she quickly pushed that thought to the side. She wasn't sure what she wanted for the future when it came to romance. At the moment, she just wanted to concentrate on starting her new life and beginning the transformation. She knew she would have to start soon. They would only wait so long for her. After all, she was twenty four already. The only other person here who had been turned at this age was Dwayne. David had been twenty two, Paul twenty and Marko eighteen.

"Open it, open it, open it." Blinking her eyes, she came out of her thoughts before she gave Paul and Marko what they wanted. Throwing the separator up with a loud bang before the boys stared at the practically brand new couch and plush recliner surprised.

"You brought this…for us?" asked Marko surprised. He had been expecting many things, like maybe a bookshelf or a few boxes filled with the whatnot, but he had never ventured to think that she would have brought them replacement furniture and nice looking ones at that too.

"Well…" she began, blushing heavily when their eyes fell on her. "Star said that your guys' furniture could use replacing. So I thought…it's too big isn't it?"

"No." said David wanting to spare her feelings for once. "We'll figure out a way to get it in." Sighing in relief, Faer smiled at them as Paul and Marko eagerly tried out their new furniture before David told them to get out of the truck. They quickly decided that they would have Faer drive as close to their home as they could and then unload the items from there. "You ready to follow us?" he asked as she grabbed a jacket for the cooling night.

"Yeah. Just don't drive too fast. I'm not very comfortable driving something so large." Nodding their heads, the boys agreed to slow it down for her and with hoots and hollers and a goodbye to Lucy, they were off.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The drive was pleasant. Faer had been wanting to get out of the house more and now that everything was almost settled, she was looking forward to spending some time away from the house. She really wanted to go to the Boardwalk again and actually enjoy herself unlike last time when she had come so her and Lucy could go grocery shopping.

After half an hour, they pulled into an empty parking lot along the beach. Since it was one in the morning, no one was out and easily, they unloaded the couch and chair before they started the process of moving them. Telling Faer to wait in the truck with the doors locked, even though they wouldn't be that long, they took off into the sky, the couch clutched in their hands as they moved along the coast and to their home. To say that Faer was a bit unnerved by the solitude was an understatement but when the moon rose high and the clouds parted she smiled and turned her head to feel the light upon her skin.

As much as religion surrounded her with everyone spouting about their chosen god or gods, Faer preferred the quiet peace that her lady gave her. Selene may have been an unconventional goddess but Faer found her peace and comfort in the soft light. It was part of why she didn't mind joining the family, because she wasn't really giving up anything that she loved. If she had her family and her lady, then she was content and that was all she needed. However, she would never admit to the others what her beliefs were. So many people were quick to laugh at what others believed in because it didn't fit their views and she really didn't want to find out what her family's beliefs were.

"Thank you my lady. But the boys need the cover of darkness." Almost as though she had been heard, the clouds appeared and hid the moon behind them. Smiling now, she lost herself to her thoughts.

"BOO!" Jumping slightly, Faer turned to glare at Marko who was laughing at her with the others before she pulled the door handle and kicked it open, knocking him onto his back. "Ow!"

"Oh, did I hurt you?" she asked with actual concern as she walked over to him. Holding her hand out, she waited for him to grasp hers lightly before she pulled it away and watched him fall. "I'm not sorry." By now, the other three were laughing uproariously as Marko scowled at her and picked himself up. He was about to say something in retaliation when David stopped him.

"Paul, Marko. You guys take the chair to the cave and then come back for your bikes. Dwayne, take the truck back to the house then come get your bike."

"How am I supposed to get home then?" asked Faer with a bit of panic.

"Me, of course." said David with a grin as she looked away from him with a small blush. He loved riling her up. "But first, I'm going to show you how well your presents fit. Come on. Get on behind me." Getting on his bike, he waited for her to join him and watching as she hesitantly walked up to him, he waited a minute before he raised an eyebrow at her.

"I…I don't know…how…" Chuckling, he offered her his hand, his thoughts becoming amused when she looked at it like it was an alien.

"Come on." he said, reaching out to grasp her hand before he pulled her towards him. "Here. Bring your arm about me like this and grasp my shoulder. Now place your foot here and then use your holdings as leverage to swing your leg over the bike."

"o…ok." Doing as told, she soon found herself on the bike, David continuing to laugh at her awkwardness.

"Hold on." Revving his engine David took off in a rush, his grin growing wider and wider when Faer squeaked and wrapped her arms about him tightly before she buried her face into his back. Minutes passed until they came upon the cliff and shouting for her to look up, he quickly regretted his decision to do so when she gasped in fright and dug her nails into his abdomen. Normally, this wouldn't have bothered him but damn, her nails were sharp and he actually felt himself flinch at the pain.

Pulling to a stop and dropping the kickstand, he waited for her to get off but she didn't move. She just clung to him and after a minute he grew tired of it. Grasping her wrists he pried her arms from around him and then pulled her wrist slowly forwards, forcing her off of the bike.

"Did I scare you?" he asked smugly when she looked nervously at the edge of the cliff that was a foot from her.

"N…n..no…" she stuttered out before she jumped when he burst out laughing.

"Sure, sure. Come on." he said motioning for her to follow him down passed the signs that read '!DANGER!' and '!STAY AWAY!', the entire time her body pressed against the rock wall so she didn't fall off. Throughout the entire thing, David was humming some random tune as he tried not to laugh. So she was afraid of heights. That was good to know.

"Star and Michael had told me you lived in a pretty secluded place. But I never thought it was…"

"This remote?" he finished for her as they entered the cave. The barrels had already been lit by Marko so she could see when they had first brought the couch and looking around with awe, Faer took in everything. "Like what you see?" asked David as he sat down upon his "throne", forgoing the recliner at the moment. Faer took a look around once more before she went to sit in the chair, her feet stretched out on the floor before her while she leaned her elbows on her knees and placed her head in her hands.

"It's filthy." she said watching as his smirk faltered for a second before he noticed her grinning.

"Home sweet home." he replied as he returned the grin.

"It is nice though David. I wonder what it looked like before the quake."

"A hell of a lot better than it does now." said Marko as he and Paul came in, running to jump upon the new couch. "So comfy."

"Glad you guys like it."

"Yeah, well it's not fifty years old like the others." added Paul before Dwayne stepped in.

"Well now that the gang's all here…" said David. "Feel like doing anything boys?" Shaking their heads, the three contented themselves with the feeling of the new couch and silence reigned for a minute before Faer spoke.

"um…I…I wanted to tell you guys thank you for helping tonight. It really meant a lot."

"What are friends for?" answered Marko before Paul and Dwayne jumped him, remembering that it had been him to get them roped in. After a minute they paused when Faer burst out laughing. It was light, carefree and up until now, she had never bothered to show them so much emotion from her before.

"Sounds like you're finally settling in." said David quietly as he studied her before she snapped her mouth shut and looked away. So it had been an accident. Well then, he'd have to draw it out of her, perhaps she was thirs…

"Are those pigeons?" asked Faer as she stood and walked over to Marko's bird cages. Said blonde, quickly got up and followed after her, amusing her while David frowned slightly at having been foiled for the moment.

Over the past weeks that she had been there, he had noticed that Faer was exceptionally good at picking up on when he seemed to be thinking of her. Whether it was him just watching her from the corner of his eye or his thoughts trying to figure out how he could give her the blood and not piss off Max in the process for forcing Faer's transformation, Faer always seemed to notice and she always jumped up to put distance between herself and him. Such the case would be now as she crossed all the way to the other side of the cave to see Marko's damn pigeons.

"Here." Looking at the pair, David watched as Marko placed some feed in her hands before he opened one of the cage doors and let out the two pigeons that were in it. Immediately, they flew to the feed, landing upon Faer's wrist and in her open palms before they began to peck at the seed. Faer giggled, a moment of childish delight crossing her features while Marko watched her dutifully, making sure that his birds were both safe and well behaved.

To be honest, David was surprised. Marko didn't let many people touch his birds, the only other ones were Dwayne and Laddie, simply because Laddie wanted to help Marko take care of them and Marko only allowed him close when Dwayne was with him. Marko even went so far sometimes as to say that Dwayne's pet wasn't allowed near his pets without him to keep him under control. Dwayne of course, would growl and retaliate with threats of Marko's pigeons disappearing if he wasn't careful and Marko would then watch his beloved birds fearfully incase Dwayne decided to hold himself to his word. It was quite amusing to watch and he never stepped in simply because he didn't want to bother with his brothers' favorite things. If they screwed themselves out of it, then it was their own fault. He wasn't going to cause inner trouble by choosing one side over the other, even though he did want the damn rats with wings gone as well.

"Hey Marko?" asked Faer quietly as she watched him take the birds from her and place them back in their cage after a few pets.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Why do you have Pigeons?" she asked.

"Hmm? Oh well, when we were young, we started to cause a bunch of mayhem, well more mayhem than usual, because we were bored. Max was pissed and he gave it to us good for it too. Afterwards, he told us to go get hobbies, things we liked to do to help keep our attention when we weren't out on the town and so this is what I got."

"Pigeons?"

"Well, they sort of came to me. I'm good with animals, but the Pigeons seem to like me the most. However, my other hobby is art. I draw a bunch and do a bunch of other things when I'm bored. I even made this jacket."

"Lucy was telling me that it was your pride and joy."

"You'll never find another one like it. A Marko original."

"Ah." said Faer with a smile before she looked around. "So what do the others do?"

"Hmm? Well, Paul collects music. That's his stash over there." he said pointing to the next corner that was covered for a good ten feet, literally, with various record albums, cassettes, posters and a few guitars here and there thrown about while in the center was a large boom box with a record player beside it.

"Woah…" replied Faer as her eyes went wide.

"Yeah. Uh, Dwayne collects books. He draws sometimes too but his biggest project is Laddie. He kind of became the little dude's second father even though Laddie stays at the house."

"What…why is Laddie with you guys?" asked Faer quietly with confusion as she moved to sit upon the ground and look at some of his drawings that he had lying about. Marko followed after her and rested his chin upon his bent knees as he stared off into space.

"To be honest, none of us are really sure and Paul and I haven't been around as long as David and him. From what we've been able to work out and from what little he's told us, he had a wife and kid once. Not sure what happened to them, but David found him after they were out of the picture and asked if he wanted to join. Guess he saw something he liked in him."

"I take it, being given a choice like that is rare."

"Yeah. You got lucky. Of course, if I think about it, we all got lucky. Most people when they become vampires are knocking on death's door when they're given the choice. Out of all of us, the only one I know who was doing so was Paul and that was because he was almost frozen to death when they found him."

"mmm."

"But back to the original topic. About three years ago, we had been on the Boardwalk one night, just like every other night, and just as we were getting ready to head out, we noticed that Dwayne was staring more intently than normal at something. When we followed his line of sight it was Laddie, only we didn't know it at the time. The boy looked a little lost, we had thought him a runaway at first but he was soon grabbed by a woman and hauled away behind her. When we got back to the cave, we realized that Dwayne had parked his bike and then taken off. We didn't know why, we didn't care. Each of us have done that at some point or another for various reasons. As long as he didn't stir up trouble, then it was fine."

"But it wasn't fine was it?"

"At first it was. But after a few days of the same thing, David started to become suspicious and on the fourth night we followed him. He had followed the boy's scent and would watch him through the window of the kid's house. Turns out, his parents were crap. They didn't take much care of him and they treated him less than the dirt beneath his shoes. David just scoffed and told Dwayne he had better get his act together." Looking over to the silent man sitting upon the new couch still, though he now had a very old and worn book in his hands, Faer studied him for a moment before she turned back to Marko.

"What happened?"

"He came back to the cave one night covered in blood, but he wasn't alone. The kid's parents had gotten high and nearly beat him to death. He was barely breathing when Dwayne got back with him. David was furious of course, but after a moment and a shared look between the two, he just growled and grabbed the bottle. The kid woke the next night, dazed and scared as expected but Dwayne was able to get him to calm down. He's been one of us ever since. Of course, we soon grabbed Star after that to help take care of him but you can see how well that worked out. She really just babysits more than anything. Lucy and Dwayne take care of him the most."

"I take it you guys don't like Star much."

"She's such a bitch. All she did was whine and try to keep Laddie away from us. Of course, now that Michael's in the picture, she doesn't bother us as much. She's more concerned about her mate than anything."

"Lucy had told me that the mating bond was pretty strong."

"Yeah, thankfully. Otherwise I'm pretty sure David would have ripped out her throat by now. He was pretty close when the Emmersons first showed. Her only saving grace was that she was Michael's mate and Max ordered us to leave them alone."

"You guys don't get along with the others much either do you?" Marko had to give Faer credit. She was extremely perceptive, but it didn't appear that she was judging them at all.

"It's not so much as getting along with each other as it is other things. But that is a story for another time." Standing, Marko effectively ended their conversation before he turned and offered her his hand. Giggling a little, Faer took it and allowed him to pull her up.

"You just sounded like an old man you know that?" Marko laughed before he messed her hair up.

"What are you saying? I'm a geezer like Max?"

"You are older than just about everyone in the world." About to open his mouth to retort, Marko froze when David's voice interrupted their conversation.

"Faer come here." Turning their attention towards the stoic platinum blonde, Faer and Marko soon made their way over to them before David pointed towards the recliner and told her to take her seat. Quietly, she did so, her content smile that had graced her face disappearing as she stared at him confused. David just studied her for a moment, resting his head against his fist as he looked her over from head to toe. He could see that he was making her uncomfortable, but he could also see that she was trying to hide her discomfort from him. She didn't want him to gain any form of satisfaction from toying with her emotions. "How do you like our home now that you've had a tour?"

"I like it. It suits you guys."

"I'm glad."

"um…where do you guys sleep if you don't mind my asking?"

"Why do you want to know?" asked David with a smirk while she shook her head.

"No reason."

"Are you sure? You seemed really interested."

"I was just curious."

"Mmhmm. I could give you a "private" tour if you'd like." At this, Faer reacted the opposite of what he had expected. Scoffing, she turned her head away from him and leaned back into the chair, her legs coming up to rest upon one of the arms.

"Save your "private" tours for your whores." Laughter soon filled the air as Marko and Paul burst out laughing, watching as David's smirk turned into a scowl as he glared lightly at her. He had to give her credit though. Sometimes she could bite back like a viper, he just had to give her the right ammunition.

A moment passed in silence as David watched her while Marko and Paul calmed their mirth. They could both tell that David was planning something, the atmosphere was becoming tense but until he voiced it, they wouldn't know what.

"Are you thirsty?"

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

It had crossed David's mind before to just do what he normally did whenever he felt like turning someone, but up until now he had been deciding against it. However, after her little burst of confidence his thoughts had screamed 'Why not?' Faer was, after all, in his home and he was nothing but a most gracious host. If Faer just happened to drink some blood, uh he meant wine, and became a half vampire than that wasn't his fault. He just merely offered her a refreshment and they had grabbed the wrong bottle in the process.

"Are you thirsty?" he asked, motioning for Marko to fetch something. For the first time, the young vampire was hesitant. He knew what David was doing and he knew Max had told him not to do it. That it had to be her choice for when she turned. "Marko." growled David when he hadn't moved after a minute. Reluctantly he did so, coming back to hand the bejeweled bottle to his brother who uncorked it and took a drink, a look of bliss crossing his face. "Want some?" he said holding it out to her. "It's wine. Quite fine wine too."

Everything was silent as the boys watched her. Faer wasn't an idiot. She knew what was in the bottle and it definitely wasn't wine. 'Max said I could decide when. But David's offering it to me. Am I ready?' she thought. She knew she wouldn't be a full-fledged vampire when she drank it, not until she made her first kill, but she knew she would be trading some of her comfort in the sun for the beginnings of immortality. 'I'll have to do it sometime.' she thought before she accepted the bottle from a grinning David. "I'm not a very heavy drinker." she said softly as she looked at the bottle with a bit of hesitancy. Watching her, the boys thought that she was afraid they had done something to the drink, but in reality Faer was just trying to calm herself down. She knew it would happen at some point, but she wasn't sure if she was ready just yet.

"Light drinker or not, just take a sip." said David encouragingly, conveniently leaving out that a sip was just as potent as a drink when it came to drinking vampire blood. "If you don't like it then we'll get you something else."

'Now I know what Star and Michael meant when they said he was deceiving.' she thought warily before she smiled slightly and raised the bottle to her lips. About to take a sip, she paused when moonlight flooded the cave before receding. Faer's eyes grew wide, the moonlight had been shining for a bit now, but it had never entered the cave until this second. Was…was her lady trying to tell her something?

Watching as Faer paused for a moment, the boys began to chant her name, egging her on to drink and with another deep breath, she moved to do so. Raising the bottle once more, the boys grew louder in their chant the closer the bottle came to her lips. But just like the last time, she froze. The moonlight had returned, brighter than ever now.

'She doesn't want me to do it. Not yet.' thought Faer as she pulled the bottle away from her lips and looked down towards her lap while the boys' chants died. "I can't." she said, shaking her head. "I'm sorry.

"It's only wine." said Paul getting into the charade, hoping she would accept his lie. But Faer shook her head, quickly coming up with an excuse that was close to the truth so David wouldn't try to question her.

"I can't. I'm sorry. Even the slightest alcohol might end up badly for me. I'm still tired from the trip and putting my house up for sale. Drinking alcohol no matter how little is a bad idea. For the moment at least. I'm sorry." Trying to ignore the glare David was sending her way, she stood up. "I should be getting home. It's late and I'm tired. Marko would you take me please?" she asked quietly.

"Su…"

"No." Looking up, Faer froze when David appeared before her, his hand picking up the ornate bottle that she had placed upon the ground. "Drink." he said holding it out to her, his voice brooking no room for argument.

"I don't want any, David. I'm going home." she said, her voice becoming firm as well. She wasn't going to allow herself to be bossed around by him.

"Not until you have something to drink. I'm not going to get lectured out because you went bitching to Max about how horrible of a host I was." he said coming up with a bullshit excuse.

"Why the hell would I bitch to Max? I've barely talked to the man and I sure as hell haven't said anything bad about you guys. Now I'm going home."

"Not until I say you can leave!"

"You don't own me!" she ground out before she stood. "If you want someone to boss around then go find some drug addict! I'm sure there's plenty on the Boardwalk sleeping in the alleys!" Stunned by her words, David didn't move as she pushed passed him and the others. "Take me home Marko!"

"Uh…yeah." he said moving to catch up with her. Soon, they were both on his bike and Faer was holding onto him tightly as he revved his engine and tore off into the night, making his way back to Max's house. When they arrived, he helped her down before she told him thank you. "You knew it wasn't wine didn't you." he said with a knowing stare while she looked away guiltily and nodded her head.

"yes."

"I thought so. But you should have drank."

"I wasn't ready."

"You can't hold off for much longer. Max isn't going to allow that and David sure as hell isn't going to allow it either. The longer you hold off, the more you put us in danger, not to mention yourself."

"He had no right to try to trick me."

"He had every right. Faer…" said Marko getting off his bike and moving to stand before her. "You don't understand. David may be tough to be around sometimes but he's hard for a reason. Faer…I don't know if I should tell you this or not but maybe you'll understand more if you know."

"know what?" she asked quietly not looking at him.

"Our relationship with Max hasn't been very good lately. In fact, it hasn't been very good for several decades now. That point was only proven when your aunt and cousins showed up. Max didn't even ask us if we wanted them to join us. He just decided that Lucy was his mate and that we had to get Michael and Sam so she would follow."

"so…he didn't even give them a choice." Feeling her legs become a little weak, Faer moved to sit upon the grass next to Marko's bike. It was obvious that everyone else was home, but none of them were coming out to interrupt them and following her, Marko sat down beside her.

"Not at first no. We got Michael but Star betrayed us and told him before we were able to get him to make his first kill. She told him everything she knew. How he could kill us, how he could become human again before it was too late. Everything and in turn, Michael told Sam who sought help from some wannabe vampire hunters."

"that's why you guys don't like them then?" she asked but Marko just shook his head and continued talking.

"Faer, your family almost killed us. We were all close to death. I had been staked in the stomach, Dwayne had been electrocuted and was severely burned, Paul had a run in with holy water and was pretty much muscle and bones and David had been thrown onto your grandfather's antler collection. And instead of seeking justice for us, his children, Max still went after Lucy. He subdued your cousins, the hunters, Star, and he tied them up before he took a trembling Lucy upstairs to her room and shut the door. They spent hours upstairs while we lay in agony, barely holding on. He didn't check on us, he didn't help us, not until he knew that Lucy was okay and that she understood why it was that he wanted her and why it was he did what he did."

"so…Max just left you guys." said Faer with a lump forming in her throat.

"Yeah. When they came out of the room, Lucy had agreed to become his mate. She was still scared, but Max had managed to convince her that he wouldn't hurt her or her family, that he simply didn't know how to deal with the mating pull. But anyways, the two of them split to take care of things. While Lucy assured the others that everything was fine, Max pulled David free and gave him enough blood to heal his wound to the point that he could function alright. After that, he had David take Dwayne out to feed while he dealt with Paul. See, Max is old. Really old, he knows magic and a bunch of other things that you don't find now. They've faded into myth and legend. But Max still knows them and he uses them. In order to save Paul, he had to use one and even then, he had to take Paul back to his house and there he stayed for another two days while David brought him food. Dwayne and I both took a day to heal from our wounds and we both needed extensive feeding in order to do so as well."

"so…David's afraid I'll betray you guys?" she asked quietly.

"That's one way to put it. Since the Emmersons have been here, the relationship between Max and David has been getting worse and worse. We follow him because he's our brother and he does look out for us even though he doesn't seem like it very much, but if he gets banished then…"

"you'll be just as lost as him."

"yeah."

"I'm sorry."

"You didn't know. Max didn't want you to know and David was hoping he could get you to change sooner rather than later. That way, he could control you and Max wouldn't be able to say anything."

"what do you mean?" asked Faer as she looked up at him. Marko sighed, scratching the back of his head. Thankfully there was still another two and half hours till sunrise.

"In the vampire world, there is a hierarchy, believe it or not. We live in covens and from there, there could be several packs depending upon the size of the coven. For us, it's Max with the Emmersons and David with us boys. However, even though we're split into two separate packs, it doesn't protect the others from the hierarchy. As Max's oldest, David has the right to order all of us around and create rules that we must obey. Dwayne as his second in command has the right to enforce those rules. The only one's safe from him are Max of course, Lucy, because she's Max's mate, and Sam and Laddie because they're not full vampires. That's why, even though Max has said that you are allowed to choose when you change, David was pushing to get you to drink tonight. Normally, once a person drinks, they're a full fledge within a week. That would have meant you would have been under David's control as well as Max's and he could have made sure once and for all that your being human wouldn't hurt us."

Everything was silent for a few moments while Faer took in everything Marko had said. She couldn't believe that all of that had happened two years ago. Of course, Lucy and Max seemed to love each other so much but everyone else, their relationships made so much sense now. Why Michael and Star stayed as far away from the boys as possible, why Sam and Lucy tried to constantly play peace keeper, why Max always frowned whenever he saw the boys. It all made sense and it made her head spin and her heart hurt. She had come from one broken family to another and she hadn't even realized it.

"marko."

"Yeah?"

"tell David he doesn't have to worry. I'm not Star and I'm not going to go back on my word. I've told him once and I want you to tell him again. I don't regret the decision I've made. I..I want to be here, but he has to let me decide when I'll turn." Leaning her head upon her now bent knees, Faer stared out at the night and the moon that was just about out of sight for the coming sun that would rise soon. "Now's not the time. It's not the right moment. But maybe soon. I don't know."

"How can you not know? It's your decision, pick a date girl." Encouraged Marko gently, but Faer just shook her head.

"I can't pick a date until she says so." she said softly before Marko paused and looked at her with a frown.

"She? Who's she?" he asked confused before Faer covered her mouth, not realizing her mix up of words.

"NO ONE!" she said hurriedly as she stood and turned towards the house. "I don't know what you're talking about. Good night Marko, see you next week!" Running towards the house, she opened the door and threw herself over the threshold, leaving behind a very confused vampire. With one more look at the now closed door, Marko got back on his bike and took off.

'What was she talking about?'

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Closing the door behind her, Faer leaned against it in relief, letting out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. 'How could I have been so careless?! Now David's going to want an answer!' she thought angrily.

'Yeah, if he gets over being pissed off at you for not drinking the blood first.' Letting out a whine, she let her body slide down to the floor, banging her head against it in aggravation. 'Why didn't she want me to drink?'

"Faer? Is that you?" Looking to the kitchen door, Faer smiled when Lucy peaked her head out. "Oh, it is you. Did the boys get their gifts in alright?"

"Yeah. They got them in just fine. Marko and Paul refuse to get off them."

"That's good. Is everything alright? You look a little worked up."

"Hmm? Oh, I'm fine. I'm just tired is all. I'm going to bed. Good night Lucy."

"Good night dear."

Climbing the stairs to her room, Faer got ready for bed and crawled beneath the covers. She was glad she had gotten Paul to help her make her bed, no matter how much he had griped and whined about it. She had figured they would take the couch and chair to their home and she didn't want to make the bed when she was tired.

Turning towards her window, she looked outside at the dark night. The moon had disappeared and Faer felt a rock in her stomach. Something was going to happen. That was why she had warned her not to drink. The only question though, was what?


	10. Christmas with the Emersons

It was Christmas Eve and everyone was waiting anxiously for dinner. Well, almost everyone had showed. The only person missing was David and inwardly, Faer felt a stab at her heart. She knew why he hadn't shown. He was still mad at her, but she just sighed and shook her head. If he wanted to be an ass then he could do so. She was just happy the others had come.

"When do we eat?" asked Paul as he bounced on his seat at the table across from Laddie who decided to follow his example much to Dwayne's annoyance.

"In a little bit and stop teaching Laddie bad manners or else I might think you were high again." Paul caught the warning and immediately stopped his bouncing as he grimaced at the memory that popped up in his head. He could still smell the garlic. "Are you guys going to stay for presents?" she asked.

"We have presents?" replied Marko surprised.

"I said you did last week…oh that's right. You were upstairs. Yeah, you guys have presents. From me, Laddie, Sam and Lucy. Max said you guys didn't deserve presents but I think I can decide for myself who does and doesn't deserve things."

"So does that mean David doesn't get anything?" asked Laddie as the room went silent.

"Of course he gets something Laddie." replied Faer after a minute. "He's just busy is all. That's why he's not here."

"Oh." Turning to Dwayne, Laddie smiled at him. "Can I send my present for David home with you? I don't want him to feel left out because he was busy."

"That's a wonderful idea Laddie. I'm sure the guys will be willing to take David his presents and before we sit down and eat, I'll put together a box so David will be able to have some dinner too. Does that sound good?"

"Yeah!" Once again the boys found themselves surprised by how much this one female was able to break everything they thought they knew. They knew she knew the real reason why David wasn't there, but it seemed she didn't care. She still wanted him to enjoy the night even if it meant he was doing it later in the cave.

All throughout the night, the boys found themselves in a sort of lull. The calm of the family gathering keeping them light and content for once while inwardly they lost themselves to their thoughts, thinking about what all David must be doing right now. For Marko though, he kept thinking about the short talk he had had with Faer the previous week.

He knew that what he had told her the previous week had helped her to understand what was going on a little more than she had. But he could also see that she was more worried than she had been last week too even though she was doing a pretty good job of hiding it as Holiday Chef jitters. At least, that's what Lucy and her called it since they took such pride in the more extravagant than usual meals. However, if anything had bothered him more than the rest, it was this mysterious woman that Faer had spoken of. Out of the entire conversation that he had reported back to David about, that was the only thing he had kept hidden, simply because he knew David would storm to the house to confront her on it and it was too close to dawn for him to leave the cave. Of course, the simple fact that Max easily angered close to sunrise too didn't help either. But all in all, the question still remained though. Who was this woman and how had she known to warned Faer not to drink?

"Ok! Last presents! Now, everyone gets one but I want you all to wait until I say open them." Everyone but the Emmersons was perplexed, though Sam and Michael looked a little confused.

"Mom. I thought we had stopped this tradition." said Sam as he received his present. It was no bigger than his palm, the same with everyone else's and smiling at her son, Lucy shook her head.

"Oh Sam. Now that we're going to live forever, I figured why not. It'll be a way to keep us connected to our new beginnings no matter what happens. So, I've officially started a new box and from now on, we'll just keep adding to it." Lucy was so happy with her statement and everyone but Michael, Sam and Faer were still so confused. What was she talking about? A new tradition. "Alright everyone! Open them up!" Doing as they were told, each person opened their last gift only to pause. They were ornaments, one for each of them with their name and the year written on the back.

"Lucy dear." said Max as he looked down at his little Santa ornament. "Would you mind explaining?"

"Hmm? Oh yes. Well everyone, in my family, it is a tradition to get a new ornament every year. Kind of a way to pass the years on a tree. Normally, we try to pick ornaments that represent each person and then sometimes we just go with a random trinket. Either way, everyone gets one. And now, Laddie, would you like to put yours on the tree?" Nodding his head, Laddie did so before he returned to his seat and Sam, who was sitting beside him, stood to do the same. Slowly they went around the room until everyone had placed their ornaments and smiling when it was finished, Lucy stood and looked at it. "Now, isn't that a beautiful tree."

"You know what this means now right?" asked Sam to Marko who sitting on his other side.

"No. What does it mean Sam?" he asked confused.

"It means we really are a family now. Mom doesn't buy ornaments for anymore unless they're family."

"Well shoot."

"Agreed."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"DAVID!" Jumping down into the cave, Paul and Marko walked over to the sulking figure. David was pissed that his brothers had decided to go to the house against his orders, but now that they were back, he was even more pissed by the fact that they had had a good time. He was hoping they would have had a lousy time and that Max would have lectured them about why they're not getting presents like everyone else.

Throwing the bottle of beer he had been drinking at the nearest one of his brothers, he just growled when Marko dodged it. "Someone's being a Grinch."

"Shove it!"

"Ah ah ah!" admonished Marko. "Keep that up and I'm not giving you your present." Now, David was interested. They had brought back a present for him?

"Me too!" added Paul and for the first time, he noticed that both Marko and Paul had semi large boxes in their arms. Looking behind them, he saw Dwayne enter the cave, with very much the same items in his arms as well.

"What? Max tell you guys to pack your shit and stay away from the house for good?"

"No! They're our presents! And yours, if you ask nicely!"

"Fuck off Paul."

"That's not very nice." he said in a sing song tone.

"I'm not a nice person."

"Oh, well then. No presents for you." David had had enough of Paul's taunts and growling low in his throat, he stood and began to stalk towards his brother, only to freeze when Paul gulped and threw two brightly wrapped packages at him.

"Fine, I give! Here!" Catching the presents, David stared at them for a minute. 'To David, Merry Christmas, from Lucy.' So even she had gotten him something huh? Inwardly he wondered what Max's face looked like when he found out. The second present though was sloppily wrapped and held messy handwriting. 'Dayvid, Mery Chritmass, Laddie.' Even the runt?

"Here." said Marko tossing him two more. One was from Sam and the other, surprisingly, Michael and Star. Now, he was really confused and looking to Dwayne who had set down his boxes on the couch and placed three more items upon the table, obviously for him, he stepped forward and peered at them. Of the three containers, only one was a present.

"What are the other two?" he asked.

"Faer made you dinner to go. She packed it before we ate, so you would be able to have everything before everyone else got theirs." answered Dwayne, before he picked up the thermos and shoved it at him. "She even made it special by catering to both of your hungers." The meaning wasn't lost on David and setting down the items in his arms, he quickly unscrewed the lid and inhaled the scent of semi fresh blood. She had cut herself again to feed him. "Max is pissed because she's hurting herself for our sake again, but he doesn't want to approach her cause Lucy doesn't know what's going on and he doesn't want her to know. He says, you need to make sure she understands she can't do it again." Growling, David stared at the canister for another moment. "Drink it David. Before it becomes too old and cold."

Now normally, David would have been furious with the quiet man for trying to order him around, but for once he was in agreeance and quickly gulping down the vampiric meal, he licked his lips clean and made for the cave entrance. There was still three hours to sunrise. He could make it there and back.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Faer had been in bed staring out the window when the door to her bedroom was slammed open. She had heard stern voices speaking downstairs and she knew one of them was Max's but to find out now that the other voice was David's was surprising. She didn't think she would have seen him for at least another week if the pattern they had unconsciously set up held true.

Staring at her in anger, David let his animalistic side come to the surface as he tried to reign himself in. Because of her, he had gotten chewed out by Max for her carelessness. Of course, David reminded Max that even though he dealt with her far more than the others, she was still under Max's command and not his because she was still human. Max had of course, opened and closed his mouth a few times before he had turned to head upstairs to spend some time with his wife before the sun rose.

" _Take care of this David. I do not want a repeat do you understand me?"_

" _Whatever."_

" _I'll ignore that remark."_

Sitting up in bed, Faer held his gaze, unflinching even though it was normally meant as a killing spell. 'Is that what people see before…?' She couldn't finish the thought. When David saw her begin to lose herself to her thoughts, he stormed up to her and grasped her arm.

"The hell do you think you're doing huh?! Why the hell did you cut yourself again!" he all but yelled, having shut the bedroom door with a slam behind him. Blushing, Faer looked away.

"I didn't know if you had eaten, so I thought I would take the edge off just a little." she murmured. Her words only infuriated him thought and wrapping his hand about her neck, he pushed her down onto the bed.

"Listen here girl. I'm a hundred and thirty years old. I can feed myself. I do not need your pathetic excuse to give me charity. Got it?!"

"yes." she whispered.

"Yes. What." he growled out.

"yes David. i understand. i'm sorry." Silence filled the room and watching her for a moment, David eventually felt his animalistic side fade until he decided to focus on the other reason he had come. He wanted to make sure that she had cleaned her wound properly and that it wasn't too bad. The cut had to have been a decent size if she had given him so much and after the last time, he knew she wouldn't be stupid enough to put it someplace where they could see it either.

"Where did you cut yourself?" he asked, his voice brooking no room for arguments.

"you…you don't want to know." she whispered to him and frowning, he grasped her chin and turned her face towards him.

"Where. Did you. Cut yourself." he asked again, making sure to enunciate every syllable. When another minute had passed and she still hadn't shown him, he tightened his grip. "Either you show me where or I search for it myself."

Pausing for another second, David was about to keep to his word when she moved her hand, reaching for her shirt. Silently, he watched as she started to hike it up, higher and higher, exposing her hips, her stomach, her waist, all the while refusing to look at him.

David was floored. Michael had been right. She wasn't fat, she was curvaceous like no tomorrow and inwardly he felt his animalistic side growl in something more than hunger, his hands itching to touch the skin being exposed to him. To grip her waist and pull her towards him in something more…carnal. But he paused when he noticed the shirt continue to rise and watching in anticipation as it reached her breasts, he had to keep himself from licking his lips. Even if he had wound up with no presents tonight, this in itself was one to him.

"You made quite the cut." he said when she pulled it just above the swell of her breasts, keeping the large globes hidden from him but leaving him quite the view none the less. The cut was about three inches long, placed just beneath her breast, an angry red glaring at him.

"It had to bleed." she whispered, tensing when he leaned his head down to inspect it, a bit of unnecessary breath ghosting her skin and making her bite her lip.

"Why here?" he questioned as he ran his fingers lightly over the wound, grinning when they just ghosted her breasts.

"No one would think to look there and…"

"And?" he asked standing up.

"I heard blood straight from the heart means more. so…I got as close as I could." Staring at her for a second, he kept his face expressionless as he turned towards the door.

"Don't move. I'll be back."

"k." Staring outside at the sky, Faer lost herself in her thoughts. Why did he care if she cut herself? Maybe he didn't like that she was hurting herself for his benefit. 'No. He doesn't care about that. Maybe he just doesn't want Max to yell at him. Yeah, that sounds better.' Being drawn from her thoughts when the bed dipped, she turned her head to see David sitting beside her with a washcloth in one hand and the first aid kit in the other.

"Hold still." he said as he placed the cloth over the cut, pressing down on it lightly as she jumped from the cold water.

"That's cold." she said in a slightly higher voice than she normally used and he smirked when he noticed her shirt starting to get wet. It was the perfect opportunity to see the whole picture and he knew she wasn't going to like it. Then again, she had gotten him chewed out because of her carelessness, so as he saw it, she kind of owed him.

"Hold still. I'm trying to get the swelling down." he said as he reached out for her shirt. "Your shirt is getting wet. I'm going to pull it up more."

"No!" she cried, grasping the shirt so he couldn't.

"Let go. You think you're the first woman I've seen? Don't flatter yourself. Now move your hands." he ordered sternly watching as her chest rose and fell quickly as she panicked slightly. A minute passed before she slowly moved her hands, turning her head away from him once more as he raised her shirt to below her chin, exposing her to his sight.

David had to swallow. If his animalistic side had been vocal before, it was roaring now. Large, gorgeously soft looking breasts were staring him in the face and he had to control his body when he felt a tightening in his pants as their peaks hardened in the cold night air. 'Oh Merry Christmas to me.' he thought smugly before he went back to business and removed the cloth, noticing that the swelling had gone down.

Setting the cloth aside, he opened the first aid kit and pulled out some antiseptic cream and opening the cap to place some on his finger, he moved to cover the cut. He couldn't stop the smirk that graced his lips when her body shivered at the touch, or the flutter of her eyes as he intentionally brushed her breasts again. The sight was amazing and when he finished pulling down her shirt once more, he felt the demon inside him quiet down.

"I want you to promise me you won't do this again." he said as he set the kit next to the cloth and picked up her arm to examine it as well. There were three pink scars where the scabs had been and lightly he ran his hand across them, feeling a pain in his chest that she had marred her skin to make their dinner more appetizing to them. No human had ever done this before. No human who had ever figured out what they were had accepted them so quickly and gone through so much trouble to accommodate them. Inwardly, while he knew that she would likely end up as part of Max's pack, he kind of hoped she would think about joining theirs.

"i can't." she whispered, looking out the window once more while he stared down at her from his seat beside her prone form.

"Why not?" he asked, trying to control his rage.

"Because I can't. What if…"

"No." he said grasping her chin and turning her to face him. "No what ifs! Promise me you won't harm yourself again or else I'll force my blood down your throat. Do you understand?"

"yes."

"And?"

"i promise."

"Good." Releasing her, he stood. He had stayed longer than he wanted, the sun would be up in an hour and normally, it took fifteen minutes to get back to the cave. Now, with the sun approaching, it would take at least half an hour.

"david." she said as he moved to leave.

"What?"

"Don't go." she said hesitantly. "please."

"Why not?"

"The sun will be up soon and at this point it'll be hard for you to get back. Stay here. Please don't risk yourself." Turning towards her, he eyed her. The way she spoke to him, like someone would if talking to a lover, the way she refused to look at him and the blush that still stained her cheeks. She liked him, he thought with realization. After everything he had done to her, she liked him. For a minute he stared at her quietly, unsure of what to say before he simply nodded his head.

"I'll stay." he said, just so he could see her reaction. He wasn't disappointed. She visibly relaxed knowing that he would be safe from the sun. David was at a loss. He had no idea what to do and so, he did the only thing he could. He turned towards the door once more.

"where are you going?" she asked hurriedly as she noticed his departure.

"My room. Away from the sun." he stated simply, showing a bit of agitation at her constant questions.

"um…sorry but…all of the rooms downstairs are…a bit…messed up." As she spoke, Faer had the decency to look away from him as he turned to glare at her.

"What do you mean?" he growled.

"Well…I'm trying to sort things and it…kind of…spilled into your room too." she said slowly, trying to act nonchalant while he just growled even more.

"Then where am I supposed to sleep?"

"In here." Funny, she had no problem saying that unlike the other stuff.

"Are you blind woman?" he asked as he pointed towards the window. "I'll be ashes in minutes." Faer giggled slightly as she pushed the covers around her waist down and stood up, her naked legs being revealed to him and David had to swallowed the lump in his throat when she reached her hands above her head and grasped the curtains just beside her bed. He could have sworn he saw black lace just under her shirt and for a second he was tempted to tilt his head like Paul would do, to find out. Of course, he would never do it, because then he would no doubt get kicked out and he liked the thought of staying with her versus his now cramped bedroom in the basement.

Suddenly, it was pitch black. Faer had drawn a very heavy black curtain across the window before she pulled two smaller ones closed in front of it just for precaution. David had to stop the growl that rose in his throat when she kneeled down on the bed so she could tuck the curtain into the side between the bed and the wall. Her shirt was riding up as she pushed it down so the sunlight would be kept away from him at all times and he was getting a very nice view of what he could now confirm was indeed a pair of black lace panties. Once again, his pants tightened and he was happy that she had essentially blinded herself.

"There. Will that work?" she asked turning to look where she thought he was. He chuckled and walked over to the bed.

"Yeah. That'll do." Sitting down on the bed, he began to remove his boots, surprised when she didn't say anything. But then again, he figured she meant the bed when she had said he could stay in there.

"Can you put your boots at the bottom of the bed?" she asked quietly. "I might wake up before you and I don't want to wake you up if I trip on your boots."

"Sure." He didn't of course. He was hoping he'd hear an oomph sometime during the day. Once his boots were off, he removed his trench coat, which he placed over the desk chair, followed by his gloves that he laid on the desk. Now, all he had on was his black t-shirt and pants. It was weird to be honest. He normally didn't remove his clothes for bed.

"David?"

"What?"

"Um…I have a pair of sleeping pants…if you want those. They're men's!" she said hesitantly before she finished in a rush, her cheeks turning crimson though she really hoped he couldn't see it. Chuckling, he walked over and grasped her chin in his hand, moving so his cheek was pressing against hers while she froze and her breathing sped up a bit at the contact.

"Faer?" he asked slowly.

"y…yes…David?" she replied cautiously.

"Do you like me?"

"what?!" Trying to pull away from him, she soon found herself being whipped around until she was sat in his lap, his arms coming to wrap about her waist.

"Do. You. Like me?" he repeated.

"um…I…uh…I…I don't…" David just chuckled while he brushed his five o'clock shadow against her neck slightly, taking pleasure in the shiver that he felt run through her as he did so before he whispered into her ear.

"Don't get yourself caught in a place you don't want to be Faer. Star learned the hard way, don't walk in her steps." At that point, he let her go when he felt her tense up immensely, before she pushed away from him, anger beginning to fill the room. "Did I say something wrong?" he teased as he watched her blindly walk to her dresser before she opened the third drawer and pulled a pair of dark blue sleeping pants out of it. Tossing them to him, she then walked to the door, not bothering to see if he had caught them or not.

"Stop comparing me to Star." she said opening the door. "When you're done changing, come downstairs. There's something I need to give you." With that she shut the door leaving him alone to chuckle a little before he stood and removed the rest of his clothes. Apart from showering and changing into a clean pair of almost the same outfit, it was quite strange to wear anything else and the feel of the soft cloth as he pulled them on was a new sensation he hadn't felt in a while. He had to admit, it felt quite nice.

Pushing the thought to the side for now, David walked over to the door and opened it before he made his way downstairs as Faer had asked of him. He quickly spotted her sitting upon the couch, her head bowed as she looked at a small object in her hand.

"What do you have?" he asked walking over to her. She didn't jump at his sudden presence but he could see that she was reluctant to look at him. Instead, she quietly held out what he now recognized was a small present. "Another?" he questioned in disbelief as he took it before he sat down beside her.

"last one. I promise." she said quietly.

"I didn't upset you did I?" he asked in disbelief.

"you broke one of your promises." she said quietly.

"Oh?"

"you promised you wouldn't intimidate me anymore." David chuckled.

"I did, didn't I." he said as he leaned back and rested his arms across the back of the couch. Faer just ignored him and leaned forward until she was bent in half, her head resting upon her knees while she wrapped her arms about her legs. For a minute, they were quiet.

"w…why do you always compare me to Star?" she asked softly.

"Because I know you'll follow her footsteps." he replied, his voice now solemn.

"how?"

"Because I do."

"but how?"

"Because she was just like you when we found her. Hurt, wanting something new. But she couldn't accept what it was we were offering her. She wanted everything but the family condition."

"vampirism?" David chuckled.

"Yeah. Vampirism. She wanted it all but that."

"did you scare her?"

"Tried. We even took her to our feedings several times to try to get the bloodlust in her to come out. But it never worked. She always ran and we always chased her down. If it wasn't because of the fact that we needed her to take care of Laddie, I probably would have done away with her and grabbed someone else."

"wh…why couldn't you have been a little more patient? kinder?"

"Faer…" said David as he grabbed the back of her hair lightly and pulled on it to get her to sit up. She did so slowly, turning so she was facing him before he let her hair go and moved to wrap his arm about her shoulders before he pulled her to him. She put up a small fight, but he won in the end and she landed against his naked chest with a soft thump, her hand coming up as though to keep some distance between them even though there was none. "Look at me." he ordered. "I'm not patient. I'm not kind. I'm none of those because in my world, they can get you killed along with several other things that to just about everyone else are trivial. Why do you think I'm so reluctant for more people to join this family? We are already too big. We're seven and when you, Lucy, Sam and Laddie change, we'll be eleven. Murder Capital of the world or not, we were pushing exposure with just the five of us before your family came along." Faer tried to look away at this point, but David grasped her chin and made her look back. "Marko told you already what happened and he told you what I want and I'm going to press it until it's fulfilled. I'm not going to change that and there's nothing you can say to make me stop. Faer, you being outside of my power is dangerous. Max may think he has you under his but he doesn't. We can't keep tabs on you during the day if you go out. What if you decide to betray us, what if you decide to tell others what we are? You are a danger to us. You need to change and the sooner the better."

Faer was quiet as she stared at him before she turned her head away as he let her go. She was still pressed against him, her body resting against his chest but for the moment she was refusing to look at him.

"I'm not going to apologize for trying to protect my family. I'll do whatever it takes to keep them sa…"

"i know." said Faer, interrupting him. "i know. But you have to understand as well, that I'm not going to change until I'm ready. So until then you'll just have to trust me." David scoffed, biting his lip to hold his tongue before he froze when she turned towards him and locked their eyes. "Trust me not to be like them." Surprised by her boldness, David found himself nodding his head before a small smile appeared on her face and she leaned forward to rest her head on his shoulder. "thank you."

"Don't expect much." he said a minute later once his mind had returned to him before he leaned his head back and stared up at the ceiling for a moment.

"are you going to open your present?"

"Hmm?" he asked looking down at her before he saw her pointing towards his hand.

"are you going to open it?"

"Oh…yeah." he said, surprised that he had forgotten the little present in his hand. It was wrapped in brightly colored paper, no bigger than the length of his hand and opening it with a small question as to what it could be, he stared in great confusion at the little motorcycle ornament that greeted his eyes. Faer giggled quietly from her spot against his chest while his arms came about her to look at the gift and with a questioning look from him, she explained.

"In my family, it's tradition for everyone to get a new ornament every year. It's a way we keep track of the years without really realizing it." Reaching her hand out, she took the ornament from him before she flipped it over. The words David and 1989 were neatly printed on the back. "See the teddy bear and rocking horse one?" she asked as she pointed to the tree. David looked before he spotted the little white porcelain ornament that was decorated in soft colors. "That was my first ornament as a baby. And see the one below it to the left?" Once more he nodded his head as he spotted the new target, it was a Star Wars ornament. "I got that when the first Star Wars movie came out. Dad and I went to see it so many times that we practically had the entire dialogue down." Another soft giggle left her lips before she frowned and pressed her head against his chest a little more, her voice somber now as she spoke. "It's my family's way of remembering the good times." she finished softly, trying to hide a tear running down her face.

David watched her for a moment before he looked at the ornament in his hand. A way of remembering the good times huh? Well, he wasn't sure this year had been good or not, but he wasn't about to call this moment a bad one. Even though she managed to aggravate him to no end, Faer was good company and in this moment, he actually felt at peace for once even though he wouldn't admit it.

With a slight shrug of his shoulders, he silently told her to sit up before he stood and stepped towards the tree. "What did you get this year?" he asked curiously before she stood as well and moved to pick a white butterfly off of the tree. "A butterfly?"

"New beginnings." she said as she placed it back on the tree. "I guess…it was time for me to spread my wings and fly. Now I'm here."

"So you are." he said before he placed the ornament on the tree beside hers. Grasping his hand, Faer pulled him back a bit.

"Lucy was wrong." she said after a moment of staring at the tree.

"What do you mean?"

"Earlier, she had said the tree looked beautiful once we were done placing them on the tree. But I don't think it did."

"Do you think it does now?" he asked truly curious.

"Yeah." she said softly. "Now that everyone's is there, I think it's perfect." Finding himself chuckling once more, he looked at the tree again. Now that he knew everyone had an ornament on there, he did think it looked pretty good. But once again, he would never say that out loud. "the sun's about to come up." she whispered looking at the sky that was beginning to lighten.

"Then it's time for bed. Come on." Taking her hand in his, David led her upstairs and into her room shutting the door behind them before he let her crawl into bed first, closest to the window.

Getting in after her, he laid down as she pulled the covers over them before she turned on her side away from him, the silence as they adjusted to their sleeping arrangements thick. For a minute, David listened as Faer's heartbeat pounded loudly. It came as no surprise that she was slightly panicked by having someone else in her bed, but she wasn't about to kick him out, especially not with the sun having just risen. Besides, she had offered her bed to him and she was going to stick to her word.

"a…" Squeaking a bit when she felt an arm suddenly snake about her waist, Faer tried to hide her shock when she felt her back come in contact with David's chest, his arm holding her tight. "david…"

"shut up." he grumbled.

"k…david?"

"What?"

"merry christmas."

"…merry christmas to you too. now go to sleep." Relaxing after another second, she gratefully leaned into his embrace. It felt good, it felt really good and smiling as sleep began to take hold of her, she allowed herself to rest.


	11. WARNING FOR UPCOMING CHAPTERS Please Rea

WARNING!

Hey guys! So these next couple chapters while important might be considered taboo to a point. So please read this before you decide whether or not to proceed.

Now, these next couple chapters might be taboo for some people simply because the circumstance they revolve around is Faer's period. PLEASE NOTE! There will be NO LEMONS! during this period though Faer and David do get intimate but nothing below the belt! So you can stay calm.

However, the main reason I chose for these chapters to go up is because during this period, Faer is going to find herself in a bit of an exile for her own safety and David, well hehehehe, is going to have to take care of her because she suffers from debilitating cramps and won't take care of herself properly during this time in favor of staying in bed for a good couple days. Of course, thing happen, Max tells David a certain detail and well David is going to be fighting between his feelings and his Lost Boy leader position quite a bit. So David will be flippy floopy but only because he's so confused and trying to figure out what he wants to do, so if you think he's acting out of character, it's because he has absolutely no idea what to do in this situation. Of course, Faer will be the same and the two will undeniably become closer because they're in a room together 24/7 for a while and getting even more acquainted than they were.

Oh man I'm babbling. Ok long story short! I'm going on a taboo route in vampire fics, nothing bad though will happen. David and Faer will be acting out of characters, the boys will be there of course. Max and David will have an unbeating heart to heart chat. The boys will do the same. Secrets will come to the surface about Faer's past. Hilarity will ensue, you can be sure about that. And hopefully, nothing has turned you guys off from continuing to read, so please make sure you comment!

I promise they're good chapters, I probably just butchered them in this warning, so please give them a chance!

Thanks!

Dulinneth


	12. WAIT! WHERE'S FAER!

Knock, knock. Knock, knock.

Opening his eyes, David looked about the dark room. It took him a minute to remember where he was and why he was there but when the knocking started again he looked towards the door. At first, he was keen to ignore it. He was comfortable where he was and stretching out his arm, he searched for his bed companion only to frown when he came up empty. Where was Faer?

"David, open the door." came Max's voice from the other side and hearing the serious tone he wore so early in the night, David stood and made his way to the door. "David…"

"What do you want?" he asked as he threw it open. For a moment, Max was speechless at his appearance but David just smirked as he stared at the older vampire. "Are you going to gawk all night or are you going to say something?" Max growled at that remark and pushing David into the bedroom, he walked in and shut the door.

"Faer is gone." were the first words out of his mouth as he watched with satisfaction as David's eyes flashed feral and he stood in a rage.

"WHAT?!" Within an instant, Max had his hand wrapped around David's throat, preventing him from going anywhere before he could explain the situation.

"Now that we're even when it comes to comebacks from each other, I want you to sit down and listen to me. She's fine and she's at her grandfather's house."

"What is she doing at Old Man Emerson's?"

"Well, it's a bit of a story."

"I'm all ears." growled David as he folded his arms and sat down. Max just sighed and rubbed his forehead. Even though he hadn't had a headache in close to three hundred years, he felt like he was getting one.

"For starters, all of this happened around one this afternoon. Second of all, and I know you're going to ask me this so don't reply, I did not wake you because there was nothing you could have done."

"So what happened?"

"Faer woke around noon to pain. She didn't want to bother you or any of us for that matter so she snuck downstairs and tried to find some medicine. Well, since we don't really need it, she was having trouble finding any and Lucy woke to her effortless tries. Needless to say, Lucy soon returned to the bedroom in a panic."

"Stop walking around the subject! What happened?!"

"Lucy almost had a bought of bloodlust and Faer was going to be the target."

"WHAT?!"

"SIT DOWN!" Using his power over his son, Max forced David into sitting upon the bed once more before he continued where he had left off. "Now, as I was saying. Lucy rushed to me as soon as she felt the urge. She wasn't sure what was going on so I told her to stay in the room while I went to check on Faer. It didn't take much to figure out what was going on. I knew the second I reached the top of the stairs. Faer's cycle has started."

David froze as Max finished speaking. That couldn't be. He would have noticed with her sleeping next to him.

"I know. It must have just begun when she got up so you not noticing doesn't surprise me."

Once more, David nodded his head at Max's words. If that was true then it meant she wasn't bleeding yet, which, if he thought about it was probably her only saving grace. Women, when they got closer to their monthly cycle, exuded a set of pheromones that to vampires drove them crazy. To newborns, it made them go into bouts of bloodlust while to older vampires, it made them incredibly horny. That was why if a vampire wanted a good lay then they searched for a woman on her cycle because one; they were normally incredibly insecure about themselves and therefore incredibly easy to pick up at that time, two; the sex was amazing as it was driven by the pheromones that sent them into a drug induced haze almost, and lastly third; at the end of the day once they were through, they got a nice midday snack. All in all, women in their cycles were delicious prey. Of course, with Faer being the target, the deliciousness of it all faded to just about nothing as he started to calculate just how much of a danger Max's pack was to her.

"I calculated the danger myself David. That's why I told her to go outside while I called Mr. Emerson. He agreed to come get her and to keep her at his place until we say so and considering you slept with her for part of the day, I'm sure you know what all she was wearing when she left as well."

"…" David just glowered at Max for that comment. "What do you want me to do." It wasn't a question, he knew Max wanted him to do something and watching the smirk that formed on his sire's lips, David inwardly growled.

"Lucy left a few hours after I managed to get her to calm down. She went and bought some things that Faer will need and once you're dressed, she'll make her a bag of clothes and other things as well. I want you to take them to her at Mr. Emerson's house and see how she's doing. Lucy told me she might have shown her feral side, but she's not sure. All she knows is that Faer looked a little shaken up when she left her in the kitchen."

"Fine. But I'm going to feed first."

"That's a wise choice. I'll let you get dressed now." Leaving David alone, Max walked downstairs before he saw that Lucy was on the phone.

"Dad…dad what do you mean she left?!" asked Lucy with a worried voice while Max got closer so he could hear the other end of the conversation

"She noticed that I wasn't exactly prepared for company and she didn't want to intrude so she borrowed one of your dresses, made herself presentable and then left after telling me thank you for the ride."

"What?! Why didn't you stop her?!"

"She's a grown woman Lucy. She can do what she wants. Besides, she has her inheritance, so it's not like I sent her out without a penny."

"She has her purse? Oh that's good to hear. Dad, do you know where she went?" asked Lucy next as she began to calm down some. Faer had on clothes and she had money so she could find someplace to stay if she wanted to.

"No, she didn't say anything and I don't believe she has my number either, so if she's going to call someone, I think it would be you."

"Alright. Thank you for helping Dad. I'll call you once we know where she is."

"Alright my dear. And don't worry. I'm sure Faer is fine. She is her mother's daughter after all." Smiling, Lucy nodded her head as she turned around to look at Max, while David came down the stairs.

"Yeah dad. I'll talk to you later. Night." Hanging up the phone, Lucy knew she didn't have to say anything to Max, he had already heard what had happened. So with a small smile at her husband and good evening to David, she made her way upstairs so she could make a bag for Faer. She had a feeling that Max would send David out to search for her if he didn't do it of his own accord.

"What's going on?" asked David. He knew something was up the moment he saw Max frowning at the phone. Something had happened while he was changing, now the only question was what.

"We have a problem." said Max quietly.

"What kind of problem?" questioned David not liking all the implications that sentence carried with it.

"Faer's gone. She borrowed one of Lucy's dresses at the house and left. She told him that he wasn't prepared for guests and she didn't want to intrude upon him so she would go somewhere else."

"WHAT?!"

"Calm down. I'm not happy about it either. Santa Carla is not the best city to go out alone in. Even without us, this city is dangerous. However, I don't think she's gone far. Look at the hotels around the Boardwalk. If you don't find her then spread out. I'll have Lucy stay close to the phone in case she calls." Almost as if on cue David and Max looked towards the phone as it began to ring. "Now I know we're not that lucky." mumbled Max as he picked up the phone and held it to his ear. "Hello? Herrman residence."

"Max?" Looking at David with wide eyes, Max tilted his head as he got over his shock.

"Faer? Faer where are you?" questioned Max as he watched Lucy rush down the stairs to stand beside him.

"Is she alright? Is she safe? Where is she?" With a motion to be quiet, he effectively silenced Lucy's worries before he turned his attention back to the phone.

"I'm fine. Just really tired." came Faer's voice. To him it sounded pained and he had a feeling that she was in quite a bit. He had seen the medicine that Lucy had bought, some of it was pretty potent stuff and when he had questioned Lucy he had found out that her sister had suffered from dysmenorrhea or incredibly painful cramping that nearly debilitated her during that time and not sure or not if Faer had inherited that trait from her mother or not, Lucy had prepared just in case. Now from the sound of her voice it was looking as though Faer had inherited it.

"Are you someplace safe? Did you check into a hotel?" he questioned.

"yeah." she said before a small groan echoed through the phone. "on the Boardwalk."

"What's the name of the hotel my dear?"

"uh…i…I don't know. I forgot the name."

"Look at your room key, what does it say?"

"I have the lights off my head hurts. but it looks like a log cabin. i…I gotta go. I need to get in the shower." Not even bothering to say goodbye, Faer hung up the phone on Max who sighed before he hung up his end and turned towards the others.

"She's at a hotel that looks like a log cabin. What was the na…." Snapping his fingers, Max looked towards Lucy and David with a smile. "The Babbling Brook. David go feed and then head over there understood?"

"Yeah. I'll be back for her bag in a bit."

"I'll go pack it. Thank you David." said Lucy with gratitude as she rushed up the stairs once more. Not bothering to acknowledge the woman, David walked out the door.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

It was about nine when David walked into the lobby of the Babbling Brook Inn. It was one of the lesser known inns simply because it wasn't priced for just anyone. The Inn was a masterpiece, styled after various artists with each room having a scenic view of a garden/ forest and the price of the rooms matched them. Not to mention it was small too, there were only thirteen rooms in the entire place, so the fact that Faer had managed to find this place and actually get a room was a huge surprise.

"How may I help you today sir?" asked the receptionist as he came out of the back room and eyed him warily. David could understand. A person like him, being in such a nice place, it must have had the poor man panicking a little. With a toothy grin, David put on his charming personality as he stopped at the front desk.

"Hi, I believe my girlfriend Faer Winters checked in today and I have a few things she asked me to bring to her. Unfortunately, she forgot to tell me her room number."

"Ah yes, Miss Winters did check in earlier today. May I ask your name please?"

"David." At that, the receptionist seemed to take a little sigh of relief as he calmed a bit but not much. Apparently that was the name he had been wanting to hear.

"Mr. David…" said the receptionist as he grabbed a card key and programmed it before he placed it in a holder and handed it over with a warm smile. "Miss Winters had said you would be coming by later to join her. I do hope you were able to complete all of your chores." Raising his eyebrow in question, David just nodded his head.

"Yes, I was able to complete all of them just fine."

"That's wonderful to hear sir. Your fiancé is on the other side of the building and up the stairs in our Artist's Retreat. The door will be marked accordingly of course. And if you have any questions or needs, do not hesitate to pick up the phone and dial the front desk. Someone is always here to help you."

Nodding his head with a thank you, David left the receptionist to follow his orders. Heading to the other side of the very nice inn, David made his way up the stairs before he walked down the hall and ended up pretty much in the middle of the entire place.

In front of him stood a large door, the words "Artist's Retreat" inscribed beautifully upon it and taking out his cardkey, he unlocked the door before he entered. Immediately he was hit with the sweet scent of a female in her cycle. It was thick and it enveloped the room and he immediately felt his loins stir a bit at the thought of what it could possibly lead too, though he wasn't too hopeful, Faer seemed to be very immune to his charms. Thankfully though, he had already ate once that night so he had some amount of level headedness, but the odds of him having to feed a second time were beginning to look pretty good if he stayed too long.

"Faer?" he called shutting and throwing the deadbolt behind him. There was no answer and frowning, he walked further into the dark room before he came to the end of the little entranceway and saw the rest of it. It was huge. To his right lay the bathroom and closet. Both doors were open and he could still smell the water that lingered in the air from the shower she had taken. Looking to his left he spotted a small table against the wall in the middle of a large open area with a good sized mirror hanging above it. The bed was across from it on the other side of the room, but he ignored it for the moment as he took in the rest.

Against the left side of the room sat a fireplace in the corner with a large tv sitting atop it. A couch, chair and coffee table sat in front of it, creating a nice little sitting place for the occupants of the room. Large, open windows decorated the wall next to the fireplace, which showed a glimpse of a large deck just outside that he had a feeling was private if the set of patio doors sat on the other side of the windows was anything to judge by. All in all, it was a pretty nice room. Large and spacious with just enough furniture for everyday use.

Staring at the room for a bit longer, he paused when a muffled whine filled his ears and turning his attention back to the bed, he paused once he got a good look at it. It was a four poster queen sized bed in oak with a white canopy that was tied back at the moment. The covers were thrown everywhere and pillows that looked as though they came from at least two other rooms were stacked all over it as well. Of course, in the middle of it all was the object of his reason for being there in the first place curled tightly into a ball.

Shaking, panting and clawing the life out of one of the pillows was Faer. She was wet from her shower still, a testament to how much she was out of it as it looked as though all she had done was thrown on a pair of panties with the proper hygiene product before she crawled into bed. Other than that she was completely naked. Now normally, this would be the kind of situation that David would have taken advantage of to the fullest extent, but considering this was Faer and not a midday snack, he had to control himself.

Setting down the duffle bag, he quickly dug through it until he found the pharmacy bag with the pills Lucy had bought for her. He didn't even try for the weaker pills, he immediately took out the heavy stuff and grabbing two along with a bottle of water, he made his way to the bed and shook her shoulder.

"Faer. Faer sit up. I need you to take these." A whine was his answer before a muffled sob reached his ears and pulling the pillow that she had her head buried in while she clawed it to death, he unearthed her tear stained face. It was obvious to see that she was completely at the mercy of her pain. She hadn't even done anything once she had gotten out of the shower. Hair in knotted tangles while it clung to her face and skin, Faer was a mess. "Faer sit up." he said again as she shook her head.

"hurts." she cried and sighing, he moved his arm beneath her shoulders before he sat her up and held the pills in front of her.

"Take these. They'll help."

"No…they won't…"

"Yes they will. Lucy got you some pretty heavy stuff. Now stop arguing and take them." Not having the strength to argue any more, she picked up the pills with a shaky hand before she popped them in her mouth and swallowed them dry. Amused, but relieved that she had taken the things, he laid her down before he sat beside her, watching as she tried to curl up again only to pause when his hand shot out and stopped her.

Too preoccupied with trying to get her to take the pills, David hadn't noticed the large red mark that was decorating the bottom half of her abdomen. It almost looked like she had lain out in the sun and used sunscreen on all but that spot.

"Where did you get that?" he asked, brushing his fingers over it before he pulled them back quickly. The patch of skin was hot and moving the piled up pillows, he found the cause buried beneath them. It was a large heating pad and it was set on high. Now normally this wouldn't have been a cause for concern if you used it for only so long but David had the feeling that Faer had been curled around this for at least an hour.

"it helps." she whispered before she sniffled slightly trying to pull the pad away from him so she could curl up about it again. However, David wasn't about to let her use the thing if she wasn't going to be responsible and unplugging it, he threw the thing across the room out of her reach. "No!" she whined trying to get up so she could go after it, however David pushed her back down onto the bed again and gave her a glare.

"Don't get up."

"it hurts! I need it, it helps!"

"I'm not going to let you burn yourself in order to get relief. Now stay down!"

"david please!" she begged.

"No!" Burying her head into the pillow beneath her head, Faer began to cry as her skin cooled and the pain came back with a vengeance. It was like someone was slowly peeling her skin off piece by piece and all she felt was wave after wave of pain. Of course, it didn't help that the pain made her body tense which in turn made her muscles sore and the rest of her body ache in response. Within minutes, she was a panting mess once again and the only thing David was allowing her was a pillow to curl around and claw the death out of once more. "Give it a few minutes, the medicine will kick in soon." he said soothingly as he rubbed calming circles along her back. Hey, he could be nice once in a blue moon. It didn't happen often, but it did happen.

"it hurts…i…I need the pad!"

"No you don't. You're just going to hurt yourself more. Just try to relax."

"I'm in fucking pain! I feel like I'm being stabbed repeatedly! Don't tell me to fucking relax!" she yelled trying to kick out at him, however David, while highly amused now, growled as he grasped the back of her hair and pulled her head out of the pillows so he could look her in the eye.

"Don't. Do That. Again." he ground out. "Got it!?" Biting her lip, Faer just looked away from him before he released her and she buried her head back into the pillow. Everything was silent now, her cries had quieted and her whimpers had dissipated as well, but he knew she was still in tremendous pain. Her body was a lot tenser than it had been a few moments ago, she was just trying to hold it in so she didn't annoy him anymore.

Sighing, he stood and walked around the bed, his eyes watching her shaking form before he moved the pillows stacked up behind her to hide her back from the cold and took their place instead. Spooning up behind her, he wrapped his arms about her waist and held her close, his head resting partially on top of hers.

"Does this help?" he questioned as he pressed down on her lower abdomen. Faer shivered before she nodded her head, a soft whine escaping her throat.

"a little." she whispered, biting her lip to hold in a groan as another wave ran through her.

"It's alright to cry Faer. I'm not going to get mad with you. Just don't attack me again. I'm not used to not being able to hit back. Understood?" Nodding her head, Faer buried her head back into her pillow before she started to cry once more, the pain more than she could take even with David's help as he started to move his hand in circles upon her lower abdomen to try to ease it some.

'David?' came Max's voice.

'What Max?' asked David irritated. It had been fifteen minutes and the pills still hadn't kicked in. Faer had fallen back to panting since she couldn't get herself to take deep enough breaths.

'Did you find her?' David had to smirk, he could hear the barely contained growl in his sire's voice and he was kind of proud, because there was nothing Max could do to him since he was taking care of "precious" Faer.

'Yeah. She's here, but the medicine isn't kicking in.'

'Did you give her the heavy stuff?' asked Max, now more concerned than angered.

'Two of them fifteen minutes ago. She's still crying.'

'Is there anything else there that could help?'

'She was using a heating pad when I got here but I took it away.'

'What? Why?!'

'She was branding herself, she had the thing set so high.'

'Oh. Well then you did the right thing. My apologies.'

'Did I hear you right?'

'Don't test me David. Does Faer have everything she needs?'

'As far as I know. If not, I'm sure Lucy packed everything she would need. But it looks like she stopped by a convenience store before she came here.'

'Alright, I'll inform Lucy. When you have a moment, I want you to go back to the front desk and tell them that the room is going to be put onto my card and that I'll stop by in a while to give them my information.'

'You do know that she booked the room for a week, right? Not to mention I think it's their version of the honeymoon suite and that the bill is going to be over a grand. You sure you want to pay?' Now, normally David wouldn't give a rat's ass about Max spending his money, especially not if it was on one of them. Sometimes, he even liked to steal Max's cards and then take his boys on a shopping spree that Max would undoubtedly be angry for but say nothing because in the end, they were "his" sons and he had agreed to provide for them once in a while. But still.

'I know David. But I'm going to pay and that is final. Besides I do feel partially responsible for this whole mess. I can't believe I didn't even think that this could happen. She's been here for nearly two months!'

'If she's been here for two months, then why didn't we go through this a month ago?'

'You know as well as I do David that the human body is regulated by several factors. It could have been her meds from the accident, stress or several other things that stopped this from happening last month. But that's not the point. The point is that I should have realized this would happen and because I didn't we almost had a tragedy on our hands.' David inwardly scoffed.

'We wouldn't be in this position if you would just make her drink.'

'She chose to join us, I'm not going to force her before she's ready. Now that is the last time I want to hear this from you, David. Is that understood.'

'So you're going to leave her in danger until she decides to get over herself and drink?! Every moment she's in that house, she's in danger, so is Sam!'

'Both of them are perfectly safe. The only thing we need to watch out for with Faer is when her monthly cycle begins.'

'What, so you're going to allow her to practically exile herself every month just because you won't force her to drink and end this damn game already?!'

'Like I said earlier, it is her choice and you are not to push it am I understood David?! In fact, if she drinks before she tells me explicitly that she's going to, I will come after you David. You are not to trick her at all. Am I understood?!' Finally feeling his nerve boil down to the last bit, David snapped at his sire.

'Excuse me for actually thinking about the welfare of this "family"!' he cried. 'Someone has to be rational when the only thing our great fucking "father" can think about is adding to it! Oh and let's not forget how he left his "sons" to die while he went after a "human woman"! Not to mention a human woman who had children that you decided without asking us that you would bring into the family whether we were for it or not! Just admit it "DAD", you've been looking for our replacements for decades and now you finally have your perfect fucking "family"!' Proverbially slamming the mental door in Max's face, David shut him out of his mind as he turned his attention towards Faer who was still shaking in his grasp though she seemed to be even tenser now. Of course, part of that could have something to do with the fact that he was pretty much spitting fire onto the back of her neck without even realizing it until just now.

"david?" came her pained voice as she turned her head to look at him before she froze. "david…you're feral." she whispered and knowing that something was wrong, she pushed at his hands till he released her before she tiredly pushed herself up, stopping to try to push the pain away for a moment, before she turned to face him. Flopping down with no energy left to ease her way, Faer stared up at him questioningly while he simply returned her gaze, anger still present in his eyes. "you spoke…with Max…didn't you?" she panted out before she bit her lip. David didn't say anything, he just watched her. "you two fought…again." Yet again, she was met with silence. "come here."

Grasping his jacket, David found himself surprisingly following her command as she rolled onto her back and pulled him so he was over her. Once again, he found himself in the surprising position of being held within her arms while his head rested upon her shoulder and he had to say it was even better than the last time. Of course, part of him wanted to say it was because she was naked apart from her panties, but he knew it wasn't that. She was just peaceful, almost like a salve and he found his ire calming once more.

"what…did you two…fight about…this time?" she questioned quietly between breaths as she ran her hand through his hair.

"Nothing Faer. We didn't fight about anything." he said, not wanting to draw her into it.

"don't lie."

"I'm not."

"liar…" she bit out before she held back a whine while her body tensed yet again. "how much…longer?" she asked with a small pain filled voice as she turned her head so she was looking over his mane.

"Not much longer." he soothed as he rubbed circles along her stomach once more, while he placed a kiss on her shoulder. Man, her scent was intoxicating, especially now that they were in yet another position where he felt himself drawn to her more than usual.

"may I…please have the…pad?" she begged softly as he pressed down a bit so his ministration would actually do something for her than just tease her skin.

"No. You've done enough to yourself with it. I'm not going to let you brand yourself." Letting out a sob, Faer moved her hand to rub at her eyes.

"w…why does it…hurt…so much?!"

"I don't know." he answered before he kissed along her neck. "But I can distract you until the pills kick in." Not giving her a chance to ask how, he moved to take her lips for a moment before he kissed his way down her neck as she laid there dazed. 'I guess this counts as a late present.' he thought smugly as he lowered his mouth to take one of her peaks into his mouth, his arm wrapped beneath her back holding her still as she arched up against him and placed her hands upon his shoulders as though she wanted to push him away.

Licking and sucking at the bud gently, he continued to run circles over her lower stomach while he teased her peak to hardness before he moved onto the other, listening as she let out a mixture between a pained and pleased cry. So his ministrations were having the desired effect upon her, that was good. However, the problem now lay in the fact that his ministrations were beginning to ignite her inner flame the more he distracted her from her pain and the more her inner flame grew, the stronger her scent became as well. He wasn't sure how much more he could stand before…

"Ah!" Letting out a short cry of pain before she went limp, Faer watched as David sunk his fangs into her breast before he fed from her. The sight was mesmerizing, simply because the moment he had sunk his fangs into her, the immense pain she had felt disappeared and all that was left was this heady, light feeling that left her relaxed and calm while each swipe of his tongue over her peak sent a shock straight through her body and down to her aching core.

'Divine' he thought as he swallowed mouthful after mouthful of her sweet blood before he realized what he was doing and he removed his fangs from her breast, watching as blood flowed from the twin marks he had created. With a swipe of his tongue he sealed them before he turned to look at her face.

She met his gaze with no hesitance, a small smile on her face as she stared at him lazily and he could see that the medicine had finally kicked in, but that didn't stop her from wrapping her hand about his neck and pulling him down so she could kiss him once more, only this time it lasted longer than the one he had used to daze her. Oh how he wanted to continue, but he stopped himself as he felt three familiar presences land on the private balcony.

'Wait a moment.' he told them as he gently removed her hands from around his neck before he stood and looked about the room. He knew Faer had to have brought the shirt she had worn to bed last night with her, considering she had worn it when Mr. Emmerson had come to get her, so where…? Lying tossed upon the bathroom floor was the shirt three times too big for her and picking it up, he quickly pulled it over her head before he pulled the sheet over her and then made his way to the door. "Don't be too loud." he ordered, staring mostly at Paul and Marko as they entered.

"What, us?" questioned Paul with his classic grin. "We would never…woah…" Pausing as he entered the room, Paul inhaled deeply before he looked towards the bed, his eyes flashing feral for a moment along with Marko and Dwayne's. David just growled at them in warning before they all regained their heads and went to sit down in different spots. Dwayne simply turned the couch around so it was facing the bed while Marko grabbed the chair and pulled it to the other side of the bed where he could clearly see Faer without the obstruction of several pillows in his way. He didn't want to admit it, but he was worried for the woman. He knew David had been arguing with Max again about her and when they had found David's scent mixed with Faer's here, he had feared that something bad had happened, though he was now thinking that they were here more for her safety than anything else.

"What are you guys doing here? I thought I told you to go to the Boardwalk." said David as he watched Paul closely as the wild maned vampire took a seat upon the windowsill.

"We wanted to check on you. We thought Max had throttled you good." came Dwayne.

"He was pretty pissed." nodded Marko in agreement. "So we followed your scent and here we are. And apart from the obvious, why are we here instead of back at the house?"

"Lucy almost attacked her so Max kicked her out for the week. She was supposed to stay at Old Man Emmerson's but she left after she saw his place."

"So she checked herself in?" asked Paul with a surprised look towards the bed as Faer sat up and got off, her balance a little uneven as she stumbled towards Marko.

"Marko!" she cried with a smile as she spread open her arms and let him catch her as she fell atop him, literally. Marko just smiled his cheshire grin while David growled warningly at the cherubic vampire as he wrapped his arms about her and pulled her to sit upon his lap.

"Hey little sis." he said warmly as she made herself comfortable and laid her head upon his shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

"I don't know." she replied with a giggle as she picked carelessly as his coat, removing a stray thread that was poking out of it. "I hurt so much a few minutes ago and now…now…I feel soooo light!"

"That's one way to put it." scoffed Paul before he looked towards David who looked ready to jump Marko. "What did you give her?"

"Heavy pain meds." grumbled David as Faer rubbed her face against Marko's neck, while she carded her hands through his hair.

"Yeah real heavy." added Dwayne as he watched Marko take Faer's hands in his and pull them away from his hair. He hated it when others touched his hair. It just reminded the curly blonde of his past and it was one he really didn't want to remember.

"please?!" begged Faer as she gave him the "puppy dog" eyes and sighing after a minute beneath their intense stare, Marko incredibly, gave in.

"Alright. But don't pull, understood?" he said sternly. Faer just cheered a little before she watched as he pulled his hair over his shoulder before she started to mess with it. Giggles kept escaping her mouth and it was like she wasn't even aware of her surroundings, which for all purposes she probably wasn't, as she parted his hair into sections and then began to braid them one at a time.

"so soft." she whispered in awe while the others gawked.

"Oh she's gone." said Paul. "She is long gone."

"It's just pain medication." said David, surprised himself as he walked over to grab the box. Nowhere on it did it say anything about this kind of side effect.

"If she's not used to the medication or dosage, especially of such a strong medicine, then this kind of thing can happen." said Paul before he leaned back against the window. "You should know that."

"Excuse me Paul," said David with a condescending tone. "But unlike you I don't drug all of my conquests to keep them quiet as I suck them dry." Paul just raised his hands in surrender.

"Touché."

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your long hair. Hahahahahaha!" Pausing in their little argument, everyone stared at Marko who looked like he wanted to blush as Faer giggled yet again before she buried her face in his hair.

"Rapunzel! Hahahahaha!" cried Paul uproariously as he grinned widely at Marko while the others chuckled.

"How does that not hurt?" she questioned as she finished the thick braid.

"What?" questioned Marko.

"Someone climbing up your hair. How does that not hurt? How does that not even break your neck? I would think a hundred pounds of weight climbing up your hair would be more than enough to snap your neck like a twig much less a grown man who would weigh at least one forty. So how does she do it?" The chuckles just grew as everyone saw that she was indeed serious with her questioning before they all paused when a loud rumble filled the air. "uh oh."

"Are you hungry little sis?" asked Marko with a laugh as he calmed down. Faer just blushed before she buried her head in his neck. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Paul go get us some food." ordered David, while Paul got up and walked towards the porch doors.

"Chocolate!" cried Faer with another giggle.

"Chocolate for the lady." said Paul. "Be back in a bit." Continuing to watch Faer play with Marko's hair while Paul fetched them food, the boys couldn't help but laugh when Faer spoke next.

"Rapunzel my love, soon we will be (snap). Oh shit."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Knock knock. Knock knock.

Looking towards the hotel room door, David motioned for the boys to hide before they all froze at the voice that called to them. "David, open the door."

"The hell does he want?" asked David as he stormed over to the door and opened it.

"Let me in David." ordered Max. With a small growl, he moved aside for his sire to enter the room. "Thank you my boy." Walking through the little entrance hall, Max stepped into the main room and froze. It wasn't hard to see that the boys had made themselves comfortable and for a moment Max wished he had thought to stop by the room before he had put his card on it. 'Oh I know I'm going to have damage fees.' he thought with an inward groan.

"MAX!" Turning his attention to the lone chair on the side of the bed closest to him, Max stared in shock at his third oldest childe. His normally cherubic, don't touch me, Marko was sitting with Faer upon his lap, hair braided to the ninths while said woman gushed all over him. Immediately, he could see the reason why. Faer was higher than a kite.

"What did you give her?" he asked, turning hard eyes onto Paul who simply raised his hands in surrender and shook his head.

"Don't look at me dude."

"Paul, you're the only one who resorts to and carries on his person at all times drugs that could have done this."

"Max I'm wounded." said the wild blonde as he placed his hands over his unbeating heart. "I do have standards." Max simply raised an eyebrow at that comment before he paused when David walked passed him and over to the bedside table.

"If you want someone to blame, then blame your wife. She's the one who bought them." he said tossing the box he had picked up over to his sire before Max caught them. Looking them over, Max shook his head.

"I believe I need to call my contact at the hospital." he murmured more to himself than the others, but the boys heard him anyways and they all gave him curious stares. "This is a prescription drug. The only way Lucy would have been able to get this is if she had called my contact." Inwardly sighing as he tossed the box back to David while watching Faer chew happily upon a Twix, Max shook his head. 'I thought she had shown me everything she had got. I guess I was wrong.' he thought before he looked up when a loud yawn rang through the room and he and the others all watched as Faer laid her head on Marko's shoulder and unceremoniously fell asleep. A half-eaten Twix bar falling to the floor.

"May cause drowsiness." read David aloud while Marko let out a breath of relief that the torture was over as he stood and laid Faer upon the mass of covers and pillows before he started to untangle his hair. Within a minute, the atmosphere was changed and straightening his shoulders, Max looked over his boys.

"Alright, now that she's asleep I want to make a few things clear to you boys. One, you all will not stay here with her. Two, David will remain with her."

"WHAT?!"

"Be quiet! Now after what happened at the house last night, and yes before you ask, I was watching, I believe you'll be perfect for the job." David just growled at his sire while Max grinned widely at him. It was almost as though the old bastard was setting him up to get banished. "Oh come now David. I'm not setting you up for anything. I just believe that when it comes to things like this your patience towards Faer will go quite far." The boys scoffed while Paul grinned.

"You say that like she's David's mate." Max didn't reply and the atmosphere grew even tenser.

"YOU ARE OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND!" yelled David as his eyes glowed yellow. "There is no way in hell that woman is my mate!"

"Is it really so hard to believe David? You have been a lot more patient with her than just about everyone else you've ever dealt with. You show up at the house constantly, just so you can see her, you even carry her to bed every night after she falls asleep in…what was it again? Oh that's right, Your Chair. Which, if I might remind you, you enjoy throwing anyone who sits in it across the room. All that is, except for her."

"She is not my mate! I am not taking care of her!"

"You are and you will, do you understand. Now the rest of you get out. David needs to attend to Faer." Not even bothering to put up any protests, the boys beat a hasty retreat and left a very angry David alone with Max who simply stood with his hands behind his back and a calculating look in his eyes that quickly became weary. "David," he said solemnly. "As much as you believe I'm not acting on the best interests of this family, I want you to know that I am."

"You could have fooled me."

"You are my oldest David, and my heir. What happened years ago, I am pained to remember. I did not act in your boys' best interest. I should have been a better father to you then and I am sorry."

"We almost died!"

"She was my mate David, what was I supposed to do?"

"Mark her and bring her to you slowly! You took all of a fucking week and left us to die while you pled with her not leave you!"

"I saw no other way."

"You wanted to see no other way! You have always used your head, thought every step through thoroughly. You think I believe you when you tell me you didn't think?! You almost got my brothers and I killed!"

"And I am sorry for that David. Believe me." Letting his face revert back to his human side, David stared at his sire with tired, hollow eyes. There was no anger in them, no hate, nothing. Just exhaustion and Max was surprised. Because David had never shown him anything close to this apart from when he had first found him.

"No. You're not. You just finally found the family you've always wanted. The boys and my time is just done."

"That's not true."

"Really? You don't come to the cave to check on us unless you're coming to yell. You look at us with nothing but contempt. You ban us from the house for even petty things like looking at you wrong. And up until this year, you told us to ignore Lucy's invites to holiday dinners, which I will admit, we were always so ready to do since we're not ones for formalities. Of course let's not forget everything else you used to just nod your head too but now you lash out at us for. Don't lie when you say you haven't wanted us gone or that you did what you did simply because of how rebellious we are. The only reason we started becoming more and more rebellious is because you started to resent us."

"I don't resent you David. I don't resent any of you. You're my sons as much as Lucy is my mate." Staring at him in silence for a moment, David pulled out his pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

"You could have fooled me." Opening his mouth to say something more, Max paused when Faer groaned a little and turned onto her side before she curled in on herself. David, not even paying attention to what he was doing, took the sheet and covered her with it before he turned towards the balcony door and opened it. "If you don't mind, I have things to do. The sun will be up soon and there's a lot of windows to cover." Max just sighed once more as he nodded his head.

"Of course. If you need anything or want anything delivered to the room, feel free to put it on the card. And if you need anything from me David, just call. Understood?"

"Yeah." Not bothering to see if his sire had left or not, David leaned against the balcony door and blew his cigarette into the cool night air, watching as the heated air floated along the breeze before it dissipated into the night.

' _I don't resent you David. You're my sons as much as Lucy is my mate.'_

"Sure Max." he said quietly into the silent night. "Maybe decades ago we were your sons. Now we're just in the way." Finishing his cigarette, David stomped it out before he headed back into the room and sealed the entrance behind him. Moving quickly, he pulled down all of the blinds and since there weren't many covers for him to use, he resorted to an ancient sealing spell Max had taught him in case of such an event that would seal the entrances he placed it upon and prevent the sun from spilling through, keeping the room in a state of perpetual darkness. It wasn't a long lasting spell, it needed to be renewed nightly, but for now it would do the job he needed it to do.

"mmm…h…hot…" Turning away from the last window he had sealed, David watched as Faer came to consciousness just enough in order to struggle with pulling her shirt over her head. She failed of course. Flopping back onto the bed, she whined quietly as her body lay in just enough discomfort to allow her to stay semi conscious.

Chuckling, David walked over to her quickly and finished pulling the offending garment over her head before he tossed it to the side and watched as she settled down once more. A soft yawn leaving her mouth as she curled up again and fell back asleep.

'My mate huh?' he thought sarcastically as he began to remove his boots and jacket so he could get ready for bed. 'No way in hell.'

'Lucy says to tell you that she packed your sleeping pants in the bag as well David.' came Max's voice quietly in his mind before it retreated once more. Snorting, he stood and found that the words were indeed true. The same pair of sleeping pants he had worn the night before were folded neatly at the bottom of the bag. Changing quickly, he shut off the lamp and crawled into bed just as he felt the sun rise. True to Max's teachings, the spell held and the room remained in darkness as the world lightened and warmed with the golden rays.

"mmm…" Turning over, Faer subconsciously moved until her head lay upon David's shoulder and her arm was across his chest. David of course, felt the need to push her away. Unless he started it, he didn't like to get close with people. But her presence was soothing and he found his arm coming around her and holding her close while he stared at the ceiling, feeling the sun begin to pull him towards slumber. Thinking about what Max said, David shook his head once more as everything began to grow slow and sluggish.

'I don't have a mate.'


	13. Annoyances, Tears and Revelations

The sound of a constant buzzing woke David from his sleep and groaning slightly as his body called for him to sleep once more, he rubbed his hand over his face and looked over to where Faer should have been. She wasn't there and cursing, he sat up and looked about the room, his senses returning to him in light of the situation.

The smell of water hit him first and looking towards the closed door that led to the bathroom, David could just see light coming from beneath it. 'The hell is she doing taking a shower now?' he thought angrily as he stood and walked over before he opened it without bothering to knock. "The hell…" Freezing in his sentence, David stared passed the cloud of steam that greeted him to the shower that appeared empty save for the dark haired head that lay against the wall soaked and completely unconscious. "Stupid girl."

Walking towards the shower, David quickly shut it off and stared down at the wet figure with red skin from how hot the water had been. At some point, the pain pills must have worn off and caused her to wake and trying to get rid of it, she had simply crawled into the shower and passed out beneath the hot spray. David had no idea how long she had been in there. Hotels didn't run out of hot water, so it could have been a while.

'Son of a…' Mumbling to himself, he moved quickly, feeling the pull of the sun upon him as he fought sleep while drying off Faer so she didn't get the bed all wet before he begrudgingly placed a pad in a clean pair of panties and slipped them up her legs. "If Max thinks this is going to become a monthly affair then I'll fight him personally after I shove my blood down your throat." Carrying her into the bedroom, he placed her in the middle beside the wall of pillows before he laid himself behind her and wrapped his arm about her waist. She wasn't going to get away from him a second time.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"mmm…." Groaning as she woke, Faer kept her eyes closed as she turned onto her back. She was in so much pain. Thankfully though, it wasn't near as much as the other night, though what had happened for most of it was a very foggy memory.

Pausing in her thoughts, Faer blearily opened her eyes when she felt a hand run over her cheek before it trailed down her neck. The sight that greeted her made her pause. When had David…oh, that's right. He had joined her last night.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as she started to squirm when he trailed his hand over her shoulder and down her arm.

"sore." she whispered before a wave of pain took over her lower stomach and she groaned, closing her eyes once more.

"shh." Within a second, a body was pressing against hers and jumping slightly, Faer looked to see David directly above her, his wandering hand now running over her stomach.

"…don't…"

"shh." he whispered again, as he moved to kiss her neck. If he could give her pleasure than the chances of her pain going down were good. Of course, that was only a chance. Pleasure didn't work on every woman he lay with who was in their cycle.

Moving to kiss her breasts, David began to press his mind into hers, using his gift to calm her down and increase the pleasure she would normally feel by at least twice. Every touch, every swipe of his tongue across her peak had her gasping and whining, arching against him for more and more contact as he played her like a finely tuned instrument.

"aahhh!" Wrapping his arm about her, David moved to claim her lips as she spasmed beneath him, her body convulsing as her pleasure peaked and she went over the edge into the abyss. For a few minutes he just held her, his eyes watching as her glazed ones stared up at him tiredly while she regained her breath and her heartbeat calmed.

"Better?" he asked once he saw a bit of clarity come back to her eyes. A dark blush was quick to form as just what had happened clicked in her mind and turning her head to hide it in his shoulder, David just chuckled before he moved to lay on his back beside her. "Don't be so shy Faer. You act like you've never been touched." The silence that followed his words was surprising, she normally lashed out for comments like that, but he turned to see a frown upon her face. "Don't tell me you're a virgin."

"no…I'm not." she whispered with a shake of her head. "i…I've just never…"

"Had an orgasm?" he finished for her with a raise of his eyebrow. Nodding her head, she didn't look at him as she settled herself and grabbed the sheet to pull over her mostly naked form. "Meh." he said as he bent an arm back to rest his head upon while he stared at the ceiling. "Don't get so worked up over that. Most women don't."

"…."

"…."

"how many?"

"Huh?" Looking at her incredulous, David frowned as he saw that Faer was still refusing to look at him.

"how many? Obviously you know how to give a woman pleasure. So how many?"

"How many do you think?" he questioned as he went back to staring at the ceiling. Faer just shrugged her shoulders.

"A dozen?" she quipped much to his annoyance and looking at her with anger in his eyes at the obvious attack on his hunting prowess and just how little she thought of it, he paused when he saw her smirking at him, though her blush still remained.

'Well at least she's acting normal now.' he thought before he smirked wickedly and moved to lean over her once more, his breath caressing her skin as he ran his lips over her cheek and up to her ear.

"Try thousands. You think you're something new Faer? You're not. Just another face in the crowd." Instantly, David regretted his words and the hurt that filled Faer's eyes didn't help any either. The inner feeling of satisfaction that he normally got from such a stunt was nowhere to be found. Just an overwhelming need to say sorry lay deep within his stomach and he did everything he could to squash it down as he saw the tears form in her eyes.

Letting her go the second she pushed against him, David watched as she beat a hasty retreat into the bathroom. The sound of the lock clicking into place before the shower started filled the thick silence and staring at the door, David growled.

'The fuck is wrong with me?! Why do I feel so guilty!?'

'She's your mate David. In hurting her, you hurt yourself even if you aren't bonded yet. Why do you think it doesn't take very long for the horrible bondings to progress to the level that they do?'

'She is not my mate!'

'Yes, Mr. Playboy of the century can't have a mate? Afraid of commitment?'

'FUCK YOU MAX!'

'Take care of Faer, David. Perhaps a few more days with her will help knock that she is your mate, deep into that thick skull of yours.'

'Whatever.' Cutting the communication with the old man, David stared at the door for a while longer before he stood and walked towards it. Knocking upon the door, he waited for her to answer him, but there was no reply. "Open the door Faer." Yet again there was no reply and starting to grow even more annoyed than he already was, he walked over to his coat and reached into the pocket. He kept a set of pick pocket tools with him at all times. Sometimes it was fun breaking and entering, especially when his chosen meal for the night thought they were safe in bed.

Listening to the lock click, David stood with a smirk before he turned the knob and opened the door. Instantly, steam clouded his vision and giving it a minute to clear out, he walked in and stared at the closed shower curtain. With his usual stoic gaze aimed at the curtain, he grasped the edge and threw it to the side.

There sitting upon the tub's floor with her knees pulled tightly to her chest while incredibly hot water spilled over her back, was Faer. She was staring blankly at the wall while her skin turned red and tears fell down her cheeks.

'Damnit.' he thought as he ran his hand over his face before he knelt beside the tub and poked her shoulder, trying to get her to look at him. "Faer. Faer look at me." he said, but she didn't respond, she just continued to stare blankly ahead. "Faer look at me!" he said a little louder. But still there was nothing. Finally growing angered, he grasped her face and made her do as he had said. "Faer I've had just about enough of this! Stop it!"

"why?"

"The hell do you mean why?"

"i'm just one of thousands. another face in the crowd. right?"

"Why do you have to take everything so personally?"

"Why do you have to be an ass? I said I would join you. I said I would stay. I haven't done anything to upset you besides be myself. so why…why are you still treating me like I'm nothing?" David just stared at her surprised by her words, but before he could say anything she continued. "I never meant to butt into your life. I never meant for my parents to die and Lucy to take me in. I never meant to send Lucy on a rampage and end up here for a week and inconvenience you further. I never meant for anything that's happened. I just…I just…" Breaking out into a sob, Faer moved to bury her head into her knees before David stopped her.

"Don't." he said. "Don't hide."

"I'm sorry."

"What have I told you about apologizing?"

"Not too."

"So why are you?"

"I'm…I'm just a burden!" she said ending in a cry before her sobbing picked up some more. David wasn't sure what to do. He didn't do crying unless he got to end it with blood in his mouth and a dying scream filling his ears. Of course, he could feel that whatever had been holding Faer back since she had arrived begin to dissipate a little and part of him wondered if she was finally mourning the deaths of her parents now that her hormones were uncontrollable.

"Faer. Faer stop." he tried, but she didn't and sighing once more, he stood and turned off the water before he grabbed a clean towel and wrapped her in it. Taking her into his arms, he carried her out into the bedroom and sat upon the couch, making himself comfortable while he held Faer close to his chest.

Minutes passed this way and finally after a few minutes, she began to calm down. Quieter and quieter she became until finally there was silence in the room and the two sat still, just allowing their thoughts to consume them before Faer pushed herself up.

"Where are you going?" asked David as he grasped her wrist and refused to let go.

"to the bathroom for a minute. I don't think you want blood all over you right?" Grunting, he released her and watched as she disappeared once more only to return a moment later, now wearing a pair of underwear.

"I'm surprised you didn't put on anything else." he noted as she crossed the room and boldly reclaimed her spot upon his lap once more, laying her head against his shoulder.

"it's easier to get in the shower when there's less to take off. plus I'm not constantly getting hot and I can put the heating pad directly against my skin."

"Hmm." Silence descended over them again and slowly, they drifted off into their own thoughts, well David at least, Faer was more playing with his hands so she didn't feel the pain that was beginning to creep its way back up her spine again. "Having fun?" he questioned amused as she jumped slightly when he reverted to his primal form and watched as she studied his claws now.

"it helps."

"Pain coming back?"

"yeah."

"Then let me help you. Here…"

"no." she said placing a hand upon his chest to stop him. "don't."

"Why not? It helps doesn't it?"

"I…I don't…"

"What? Don't want someone who's not your lover to touch you?" Silently, Faer nodded her head and David just frowned. He didn't like it. He didn't like the thought of someone else touching her and he didn't like being denied the right to touch her either. To draw mewls of pleasure from lips or feel her nails scrape deliciously across his scalp. Those were his to bring forth from her, not someone els… 'The hell am I thinking!? If she wants to fuck someone else, good!'

Scoffing, David just let the subject drop before he motioned for her to move and went to fetch the pills, albeit a lower dosage this time. Once he had her medicated, he grabbed a hotel menu and took up his spot once more, not even batting an eyebrow when Faer reclaimed hers for the third time.

"You won't let me help you, but you'll sit half naked on my lap. You're more of a tease than the local prostitutes."

"I'll cry again, don't push me."

"Oh, so you're using that as a weapon now?"

"If it makes you uncomfortable, hell yes."

"Ha!" Throwing his head back with a loud laugh, David didn't say anymore before he opened the menu and began to look. He was going to have to go feed soon but Faer needed to eat as well and the kitchen would close in an hour, so they had to hurry. "See anything you like?" he questioned.

Laying her head upon his shoulder while he wrapped one about her waist, Faer stared at the menu and went over her options. Nothing was really screaming out at her but she was hungry.

"no. not really."

"You need to eat. Pick something."

"I don't see anything I like."

"Sigh. Well I need to feed so pick something. Anything. I don't care."

"hmmm…pizza?" Raising an eyebrow now, David looked down at the face that was staring up at him. For a moment, he felt the need to press his lips against hers, but he quickly silenced that thought before he nodded his head.

"Sounds good. Any kind in particular?"

"w…what kind does the pizza place have?"

"Just about any you can think of."

"White?"

"You go for that?"

"What? I like it."

"You're weird."

"Excuse me, Mr. Vampire, if my tastes aren't exactly on par with yours." Chuckling, David gave in.

"Alright, alright. I yield. I'll get you a white pie."

"and…chocolate?"

"Yeah, I'll get your chocolate. So get up."

"Can't you wait another minute? I'm comfortable."

"No. I'm hungry. So move." Sighing, Faer did so, allowing David to get up before she laid down upon the couch while he put on his jacket and boots before he headed for the porch doors. "Don't go anywhere. Understood?"

"Yes master." Smirking, he gave her one last look.

"I like the new title. Use it."

"Fuck you."

"When I get back." Laughing as he shut the door, David left Faer alone while he took to the sky. He was ravenous after being enveloped in Faer's scent for so long. He was going to have to gorge himself if he was going to spend another twenty four hours with her with nowhere to escape.

Spotting a small bonfire surrounded by a few boys who were more than drunk, David smirked as he moved to put his feet upon the ground. Dinner, was served.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"I'm home." Opening the door to the hotel room and walking in with two pizzas and a couple sodas in his hand, David looked about the room before he spotted his target lying upon the couch, curled around a pillow. "The pills wear off already?" he asked as he moved to place everything upon the small coffee table.

"hmm?" she asked sleepily, lifting her head to look at him.

"I asked if the pills had wore off."

"oh. no. just tired."

"I'm surprised. You slept the day away."

"i'm always tired during this time. i'm sore, in constant pain, losing blood, hot. sometimes I feel like I could sleep for several days straight."

"Hmm. Well sit up, I've got supper and you need to eat."

"chocolate?" she asked with a yawn as she sat up and rubbed at her eyes while David merely contented himself with taking his fill of the mostly naked sight before him.

"Yes, I got your chocolate. A bunch of KitKats and Twix bars just for you." he replied while dangling a bag in front of her face. Smiling, Faer reached for the bag only to pause and frown when David pulled it out of her reach. "You can have it after you eat."

"You do realize pizza is no better for me than chocolate right?"

"Pizza isn't pure sugar. It's got more than one food group to it. Now eat or I'm tossing the chocolate."

"Fine, fine. Just don't hurt them."

"Very funny. Eat."

"Sigh. I take it the other bag is napkins and plates."

"Yeah. Here." Handing her the second bag, Faer removed the contents before she opened the pizzas and grabbed a few slices, making two plates. "Hungry much?"

"One's for you smartass. So hurry up and take off your clothes."

"I thought you only wanted your lover to touch you." he said as he set the bag of chocolate upon the bed before he moved to do as told, a wide smirk upon his face.

"Ha ha. One, your clothes smell like blood, so I'd get a new set if I were you. Two, I would think considering you're not going anywhere again tonight, you might want to put your sleepwear on and get comfortable. And lastly, three, I want my spot back!" Full out laughing now, David hurried to fulfill Faer's list before he moved to sit upon the couch and placed his legs up, making himself comfortable.

"Alright. Take your spot." Smiling widely herself, Faer giggled excitedly before she made to claim her seat. "And bring me my food."

"Bossy much?"

"Coming from the woman who just ordered me to strip so she could sit in my lap."

"Touché. Here." Handing him his plate, Faer sat down and laid her back against his chest, a small sigh starting to leave her lips when she paused and frowned.

"What?" he said, taking a bite of his pizza. "Not as comfy as you want?"

"you're warm."

"Oh. That." he said nonchalantly while he took another bite of pizza. "Fresh blood means warm blood. Which means for a short time, I'm warm. If one didn't know better, you could almost say that I was…alive."

"hmmm."

"Relax. I'll go back to cold soon enough. You just have to let the blood die." Smirking wickedly, David watched as Faer leaned back against his chest and began to eat her pizza, a now somber mood taking over the room as the two of them ate quietly.

About an hour had passed in this way, but during that time Faer had made herself more comfortable and turned so that her and David were chest to chest, her head lying upon his shoulder while she stared at nothing in particular and David let his mind wander. Everything was peaceful.

"Hey bro!" Hearing a few knocks upon the balcony door, David and Faer jumped at the sudden noise before Faer began to scramble, only to freeze when David wrapped an arm about her back and held her to him.

"Wha…?"

"Stay still." he ordered, grabbing a blanket lying across the back of the couch before he covered her with it. "Come in." As the balcony door opened, David and Faer watched as the boys entered the room with their normal grins. Of course, they all paused at the sight that greeted them.

"Damn David. You sure didn't waste any time in claiming her." said Paul as he eyed the set of naked shoulders that peaked over the blanket.

Immediately, David growled while Faer tensed.

"Claimed?! What…?" Grasping her chin, David made Faer look at him before he locked eyes with her and pushed his mind into hers.

"Sleep." he ordered curtly and watching as Faer's eyes turned glassy before they closed and her body went limp, David stood with her in his arms and set her upon the bed before he growled dangerously at Paul.

"Hey man. I didn't mean anything by it. She is your mate after all." he said calmly while raising his hands in surrender.

"She. Is. Not. My. Mate!" he all but yelled and staring at their leader wide eyed, the boys all just went slack jawed.

"You're kidding right?" asked Marko as he went and sat down on the bed beside Faer, making sure that the blanket was about her securely. "Out of all the useless girls you could have been stuck with for eternity, you get Faer and then you say you don't want her. What's wrong with you man?"

"Nothing's wrong with him." said Dwayne. "He's just being an ass. He doesn't want to be tied to one person for all of eternity. He enjoys sowing his oats in as many sluts as he can get his hands on."

"SHUT UP DWAYNE!"

"Why are you doing this? Max made valid points yesterday. You allow Faer to get away with several things you would never accept from us. On top of that, if she was anyone but your mate, you would have ripped her throat out hours ago no matter how much control you have or how much you had gorged yourself. Why can't you accept the facts?"

"Because I refuse to believe that my mate is a fucking Emerson!"

"That's the reason?" questioned Paul. "Man…you're in trouble dude."

"David," said Dwayne as he stood and walked over to his brother. "You can't do this. You can't blame Faer for what happened. She may be an Emerson, but she is not them. She's not the reason Max did what he did and she sure as hell hasn't tried to kill us."

"That doesn't change the fact that her family is the reason why you all, including me, were almost killed!"

"David, if we can refuse to blame Faer for her family's mistakes, can't you?" asked Marko.

"No." he said with a flat tone, finality filling the air. "I will never forgive the Emersons and Max for what they did. I may have to live with them, but that doesn't mean I have to forgive them."

"So you're just going to punish her for something she had no part in."

"No. She's never going to know and that's how it's going to stay. Understood." David's voice held no humor in it as he looked at all of his brothers with a strict, cold gaze. He was serious and for a moment, the boys all felt the need to submit to him and his order as their leader. But Marko shook his head and stood to face him, anger on his face.

"What happens when she turns? What happens when she becomes one of us fully and feels the mating bond with you more than she already does? Are you going to push her away every time she drifts towards you?! Or are you going to beat her until she fears you enough that she never wants anything to do with you again?! You're not only condemning yourself, you're condemning her. What if she wants her mate?!"

"The only thing I would ever possibly want from her is the occasional fuck when I can't find any dinner worth…" Not being able to finish that sentence, David found himself pinned to the wall when Marko attacked him while Dwayne and Paul battled between whether or not they should allow Marko and David to go at it or pull Marko away. "Let go of me Marko." growled David with glowing yellow eyes. "Or you're going to wish we would have killed you when we first found you."

"I don't understand you David. We've been brothers for eighty years now and I have never known you to be this heartless! Just a few years ago you took Star to be your mate even though you knew she wasn't the one. Now you have your actual mate and you want nothing to do with her!? Simply because of who her family is?!"

"What I do and don't is my choice Marko. You will not question it!" Huffing as he released his brother and took a step back. Marko stared at David for another moment before he turned away and walked to the balcony door. "Where are you going?! I'm not done with you!"

"No, but I'm done with you! At least for tonight!" To say that David was surprised was an understatement. And to say that Marko's words didn't hurt was an even bigger understatement. Out of everyone he had expected to turn their backs on him, not one of his brothers had ever crossed his mind, until now. Would…would they really leave him because he didn't want Faer as his mate?

"Hey Marko, wait up!" cried Paul as he fled the room after his irate brother. When they were mad, there was no telling how much mayhem they could cause and that was the last thing they needed Max to freak out about.

A minute passed in silence and David stared at the open door before he turned towards the only person who still remained. Dwayne was staring at him quietly, analyzing the situation with a stoic eye like he always did.

"You going to abandon me too?" asked David, his voice filled with anger in order to hide the hurt he felt at Marko's action.

"You know the answer to that." said Dwayne before he moved to close the door and sit upon the couch. There was no need to fear that Faer would wake up soon. David had sent her into a deep sleep. She would be out for the rest of the night and probably most of the day as well.

"Don't tell me you're upset too." said David as he walked over and plopped down into the chair across from him.

"Why don't you want her? She's proven herself to you several times over the past months. She never ceases to surprise you or throw you for a loop. So why don't you want her?"

"Because she's an Emerson."

"Don't lie. Tell me the truth."

"I do not have to justify myself to you Dwayne!"

"No. You just have to explain to me why it is that I should clean up your mess." Huffing David stood and walked over to the balcony door, taking out a cigarette as he went. Even though the cigarette didn't do much for him, the nicotine within it did help to calm his nerves even if it was only for a few moments before his vampiric blood took care of it as though he had never touched the stuff. "You're afraid she's going to be like Star aren't you." It wasn't a question, it was a statement and not answering him, David continued to smoke his cigarette, wishing that he had a bottle of beer to drown his worries in, even though he wouldn't get the slightest bit tipsy. "Answer me David. You're afraid you'll be betrayed again, aren't you?"

"And what if I am?!" hollered David as he turned on his oldest brother after himself. "What if I am afraid?! I may not be human but that doesn't mean I can't feel fear! Why is it so hard to believe that I don't want to feel what that bitch put me through again!? If I don't want to see you all lying near death's door for someone's stupid desire to have a fuck buddy! Why is it so hard to believe that I would rather protect you all than take a mate who could prove to be our end!?" Panting as he came off of his tirade, David nearly choked on unnecessary air when he realized just exactly what it was he had said. He had never been so open with his brother before, never. And looking up into the wide eyes of Dwayne, David felt unsure of what to say. But before he could backtrack, try to reclaim the title he had worked so hard to keep as the hard and strict leader of the Lost Boys, he froze once more when a voice interrupted him.

"david?" Looking towards the balcony door with trepidation, David felt his heart leap to life at the sight of Marko and Paul staring at him incredulously as well. "David…did you really mean that?"

Crumbling, David felt like he was crumbling. His brothers knew now, knew just how afraid he was of a repeat of three years ago and for some reason, that thought terrified him more than the thought of Faer being another Star. His brothers were his life. If he didn't have them, then he had nothing and if they didn't think him strong…then would they still follow him?

"bro?" questioned Paul as he watched David's eyes grow even wider than they already were before he collapsed to the floor. "Bro!" Rushing to his side, all three of the boys helped David up before they placed him upon the couch. Dwayne of course, ripped his wrist open and stuck it to David's mouth, hoping that the nourishment of his blood would help bring his oldest brother back from his shock. It didn't take a genius to know why David was freaking out so much. He just wished David knew better than to believe that the only reason they remained with him was because of his normal attitude.

"Drink." he ordered as he opened David's jaw just enough to fit his wrist in before instinct took over and David clamped down. "That's it." Allowing his brother to drink, Dwayne could feel the inner turmoil his brother felt and to say that he was surprised David wasn't freaking out more was an understatement. He was just connected to David and he almost felt like he was drowning. How was David coping so well?

Coming from his thoughts when he heard a large intake of air, Dwayne watched as David released his wrist and greedily took in gulps of air before he looked about himself and tried to push them all away. "Get out." he said, his voice rough as he struggled to contain what he was feeling.

"No." said Dwayne.

"I said Get Out!"

"And I said No! David you can't push us out every time you feel like you're crumbling! It's not healthy!"

"I Said Get Out! Get Out! Get Out! GET OUT!"

WHACK!

Feeling his head reel as his hand came up to rub his now sore jaw, David turned to stare at a now irate Dwayne who was standing over him with his own set of glowing eyes. "You vented, now it's my turn!" he growled. "Why do you think you have to be so god damned uptight all the time!? Why can't you believe, for once, that we follow you not because you're our ruthless leader, but because you are our brother and you have proven to us time and again that we're not just pawns to you! Why is it so hard to show us other parts of you?! Damnit David! We were all human once! We all know what it's like to feel!" Sighing as he calmed down some, Dwayne sat next to his brother and placed his hand on his shoulder, his voice now calmer as the anger began to fade. "We all may have ascended to something greater and more ruthless than a human, but that doesn't mean our humanities left us all together. David, it's okay to have emotions. Do you really think we're expected to go eternity without feeling anything?"

"…"

"I know you're afraid David. I kn…"

"I'm not afraid."

"It's okay to be afraid you know."

"I am not afraid!"

"Hey bro," said Paul as he placed a hand on his oldest brother's knee. "We're not going to look down on you for feeling something. And especially not if it's over a repeat of a few years ago. Jeesh man, that still gives me the creeps."

"David?" called Marko next as he slowly approached him, his head down and his body submissive.

"What Marko?" asked David, his voice sounding tired, just like it had with Max the other night.

"I…I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were looking at this on a deeper level than usual. I thought…I just thought you were being an ass towards Faer for something she didn't do." Sighing, David looked towards the bed and the sleeping figure upon it.

"she really is my mate isn't she." he said quietly.

"Hey," said Paul as he patted his brother's knee. "At least you got a good one."

"Yeah. This one's smart and she knows how to cook." added Marko, while David just chuckled.

"Yeah. At least I won't have to gorge myself on fast food when Max finally banishes me."

"You really believe we'll allow him to banish you without us?" questioned Dwayne while Paul and Marko both chuckled evilly in the background.

"We'll piss him off so bad, he'll banish us within a week if not sooner." said Marko.

"Bro-pires before sires!" chimed Paul with a hoot.

"Bro-pires? You've been smokin again haven't you." said David as he raised an eyebrow towards his youngest pack brother.

"Hey, don't be jealous of my artistic approach with words."

"Must be some new shit he's trying out." mused Dwayne before the others burst out laughing while Paul simply pouted. The mood was light for once and David was thankful that he had them by his side.

"So what are you going to do?" questioned Marko after a minute.

"Honestly?" said David as he leaned back onto the couch and made himself comfortable. "I don't know. I'm not ready for a mate, but…" he said making Marko freeze in his words. "I'm not going to push her away. We'll just keep things going as they have been. We get a little closer, she pisses me off and we keep our distance till I can get my need to throttle her under control."

"You know that's probably not the emotion you're feeling, right?" asked Dwayne.

"Yeah. It's more along the lines of, she's pissing me off, I bet the makeup sex will be amazing! But you can't fuck her angry or else you'll kill her. At least until she becomes a vampire."

"And if she becomes a vampire before she speaks with Max then he'll have my head instead of banishing me."

"Tough dude. Looks like you're going to have some pretty blue balls for a while."

"Oh, you think?"

"Hey, you can't exactly sleep with the girls you come across now. You're a taken vamp David. You're off the market."

"Yeah, as in the only person you can fuck is right over there on that bed." said Marko.

"Of course, you don't exactly have to abstain from sex for a while." said Dwayne. "You could just fuck each other casually until she turns and finds out the truth."

"That would mean dating her and I don't know if I want that either. Man, it's so much easier when you can fuck em and drain em and then toss the body in the ocean."

"Why can't you just be fuck buddies? I'm sure she's not a virgin." suggested Paul.

"Cause she doesn't want to be fuck buddies. Believe me, I've tried already. She doesn't want anyone but her "lover" to touch her like that."

"And yet, she's walking around half naked in front of you. Very classy." pointed out Marko.

"No shit. She says she's in too much pain to get dressed."

"You keeping her medicated?" questioned Dwayne.

"On a lower scale than yesterday."

"Oh come on. A high Faer is a fun Faer." whined Paul. "It took Marko hours to get his hair untangled. You should have seen him with the brush last night."

"Shut up!" yelled Marko embarrassed. It was true. It had taken him several hours to get his hair untangled from the mess Faer had put it in and for a little while, he had contemplated cutting it. But he had never cut his hair before and he didn't want to start just yet. Maybe in another decade or two he would think about it some more.

"What? Did Rapunzel have trouble brushing her long locks?" teased David before he shielded himself from the punch he rightfully deserved as Marko lashed out at him in a fit of brotherly rage. For several minutes this was how the time passed until they all calmed down and sat about the room in silence.

"How much longer?" voiced Paul quietly as he stared up at the ceiling.

"How much longer till what?" questioned David.

"Till Max gets rid of us."

"Yeah. He's got his family now. He doesn't need us anymore." added Marko.

"Honestly? I don't know. We'll just have to wait and see."

"Well that doesn't help."

"Why not?"

"He'll give us a day tops to get out of Santa Carla. I want to know at least when so I can pack some things. I don't want to leave my drawings and my pigeons!"

"My music collection!" added Paul.

"Laddie." said Dwayne quietly.

"Dwayne, you know I can't do anything about Laddie. But to you two, I suggest that if you want to keep any of your shit, you make yourself a bag and have it ready to go whenever we'll need it. Understood?" Quietly, the boys nodded their heads and turned back to their thoughts. They would have to leave soon, but for now they could enjoy each others' presence. "Dwayne, help me reseal the windows."

"Yeah."

Unknown to the boys, a figure had been watching them quietly from the darkness of the trees near the bedroom and with a heavy sigh they turned and shot off into the night.

"Everything alright dear?" asked Lucy as her husband came into the house. Max was wearing a tired expression and Lucy was concerned that something had happened.

"Hmm? Oh yes, yes. Everything is fine dear. I just…I need to go make some calls. I'm going up to my study. Call if you need something."

"Um…okay. I'll bring you some coffee in a bit."

"Thank you dear." Kissing her cheek, Max headed up the stairs and into his study. He had some work to do and a plan to put in place.


	14. The Hell Is Wrong With You!

Yawning as she opened her eyes, Faer stared at the ceiling for a moment before she turned onto her side and stared at the sleeping figure beside her. David was fast asleep, his face relaxed and his body pressed close to hers with an arm draped over her waist. For some reason, Faer found this position to be incredibly nice and for a moment she pressed herself closer to him.

' _Faer_.' Snapping her eyes open, Faer shot up and away from David before she stared at him panicked for a moment. That voice. She hadn't heard that voice in months. So why…why was it… Shaking her head, Faer got up out of the bed and left the dimly lit room as she walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Her pain was much more manageable today so she wanted to go out.

"Hopefully, David will stay asleep long enough for me to get out the door." she mused quietly. Moving quickly, Faer showered and got herself ready before she pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt she had bought the day she had been kicked out of the house. She may have liked Lucy's dresses, but she didn't want to wear them, they weren't exactly her style. "Ok, I'm dressed, ready and I have my purse. Now I just need to get out the door." Looking towards the bed as she tiptoed towards the door, Faer held her breath as she grasped the knob and the lock and began to turn them. "I don't know why I'm so jumpy." she mused. "It's only noon. He should be out like a light till sunset."

"That's what one would think, isn't it Faer?" Jumping, she turned to see David standing before her, his arms crossed over his chest as he leveled her with a no nonsense glare.

"Oh…David! What are you doing up?" she questioned hesitantly.

"I could ask you the same thing. On top of that, why are you dressed and trying to leave?"

"I'm not leaving."

"Then why were you unlocking the door."

"Uh…I just…I just wanted to go get some things."

"You can wait until nightfall."

"But..!"

"No buts! You are not leaving until nightfall and I can watch you."

"But it's day! It's not as dangerous!"

"You're new Faer. You don't know what Santa Carla is like, day or night, this city isn't safe."

"Then why is Sam allowed to go out!? Why is he allowed to ride his bike from the house to the Boardwalk! That's a hell of a lot farther than what I have to walk! We're already on the Boardwalk!"

"What Sam does isn't my concern. What you do is. Now I said you're not going out. So go change and get back in bed."

"Please David! I won't be too long!"

"No."

"I'm hungry!"

"Then order room service."

"I don't like what they have! Please! I'll bring you something to eat to."

"I don't want to eat. I want to sleep." Deflating a bit, Faer looked towards the ground, not wanting to meet David's gaze.

"Please David. Just let me go out for a bit. I'm only going to run to a few stores. Do you know how long it's been since I've had this kind of freedom? I've never been allowed to go off on my own, not without an escort. I had to sneak out in order to gain it. So please, just a little freedom. Please." Staring at her quietly for a moment, David thought over everything that could possibly go wrong before he sighed.

"Fine. But you had better be back within two hours, understand? Or else when I get my hands on you, you're going to regret disobeying me. Got it?"

"Yes David."

"Good. Go. Your two hours start now."

"Thank you!" Giving him a quick hug, Faer was out the door so fast that David was left in confusion before he shook his head and headed back to bed. He wouldn't find sleep while she was gone, but he could at least rest for a bit.

"I'm getting soft." he muttered to himself. "I'm getting way too soft."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

It had been about half an hour since she had left the hotel and walking about the Boardwalk with a wide smile on her face, Faer closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. The crisp ocean scent that was wafting off of the beach smelt divine and the warmth from the sun felt delicious as well.

'Don't get used to it.' her mind whispered to her. 'Pretty soon, you'll never feel the sun again.' Letting her smile fade just a bit, she stared out at the blue sky and white clouds, feeling her eyes sting just a bit at how bright it all was.

"Yeah. Never again."

Continuing to walk down the shop laden street, Faer paused when she came across a fabric shop. Immediately, her mind began to spin, ideas popping up until it stopped on one image, one piece of paper that she had poured part of her soul into drawing and asked her mother for her opinion again and again until it was perfect.

"I can't go home for another four days and I don't want the boys to stay and keep me company every night. So I guess I need a project." she said with a new smile filling her face, the thought of the future leaving her for now as she entered the store and began to browse. "This is perfect."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Looking towards the door as it opened, David stared at Faer as she walked in an hour and fifty five minutes after she had left. A slight frown marring her face as she carried in several bags from various stores.

"What did you do? Buy the whole town?" he questioned jokingly trying to wipe the frown from her face as he stood and walked over to her.

"No." she replied quietly as she set it all down beside the coffee table.

"What's wrong?" he questioned. Faer didn't answer him immediately, instead she just shook her head before she looked at him with a small smile on her face.

"What do you mean?" David just raised an eyebrow before he shrugged it off and moved to sit on the couch before her.

"I want to see."

"What?" she questioned, surprised now.

"You wake me up at noon, beg me to go out against my better judgement and you're not going to let me see what you got? I'm hurt Faer."

"Oh…um…I didn't think…you'd care."

"I don't." he said flat out watching as her mood seemed to dim once more at that. "I'm curious. What craft has Faer decided to indulge this week." A small smile reappeared at that and feeling a bit of pride fill him for it, David leaned back into the couch while Faer began to open bags and show him her spoils.

"I got some more clothes first off. I don't really have a closet that I got to choose myself."

"So what you're saying is that basically every part of your life was decided for you."

"Pretty much." she responded quietly, not looking at him. "Mom and Dad kind of hoped that if I appeared and acted right then maybe dad's family would accept me again and them in turn. So most of what made up my life was chosen all to see that goal come true. The only things I really got to choose were my hobbies and those of course were strict as well. They had to be either delicate or thought provoking. Once in a blue moon I was able to sneak in something artistic as well. Of course, if I thought long and hard, then I could sneak in something geeky too. Like I convinced my father once that the card game Sam and I play was a great strategizing tool, so he bought me decks and we would go after each other. He thought it was close to chess in terms of training the mind, but he still preferred the other since it was more refined."

"Well that explains a lot." he replied before he calmed his inner thoughts some. It appeared that Faer was just having another off day due to her period and like yesterday with her breakdown, it was centered around her parents. It was understandable of course. They were dead. She would never see them again.

"yeah." Silence filled the room for a bit before David broke it.

"Well, let me see."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry."

"Stop apologizing."

"sorr…" Turning away from him as he leveled her with a glare, Faer continued to open the bags and lay everything out until the final item she was laying before him was two styrofoam boxes.

"What's this?" he questioned.

"I said I would bring you back something to eat if you let me go out and you let me, so…"

"What did you grab?" he asked curiously as he took one of the boxes and opened it.

"A California Dream."

"A what?"

"It's got roast beef, ham, mayo, alfalfa sprouts, tomatoes, onions, mustard and vinaigrette dressing on it. It's really good. Try it." she said, pepping up a bit.

"Looks nasty."

"So does the pizza you normally get."

"Touché."

"Come on, try it! I even got us some potato salad and chips. If you dunk the chips into the potato salad and eat it, then it's really good!"

"You sound like you've had this before."

"I have. Lucy and I visit it when we run errands during the day." David just raised an eyebrow surprised before he sighed and picked up the sandwich. He really wasn't in the mood to eat, but Faer had gone through all the trouble of getting it for him, so he figured it was the least he could do. Especially since she was in such a good mood for the moment. 'Wonder how long that will last.' he mused as he took a bite before he paused.

"Well?" questioned Faer with an expectant look upon her face.

"It's good." he said and with a small cry of joy, she quickly pulled out the rest of their lunch and set it upon the table.

"Try the salad!"

"Alright, alright, don't get your panties in a knot. Damn, I swear sometimes you act like you're my wife." At that comment David froze. Where the fuck had that come from?

"i…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get so bossy." she replied quietly while she lowered her head, her somber mood back in place.

"Forget I said anything." were his only words as he went back to his lunch.

"yes David."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"I'm going out. I'll be back in a bit. I'll bring you back something to eat but if you get hungry before then, then order room service. Do not leave this room understood?" said David as he walked towards the balcony door, dressed in his usual fashion. Quietly, Faer nodded her head, turning away as he looked towards her with a stern gaze. "Promise me." he said.

"I promise David." David just frowned as he opened the balcony door. Since he had made that comment about her acting like his wife, she had been extremely quiet and reserved. Of course, he had been happy that she wasn't talking, he did enjoy silence, especially when he was up at two in the afternoon versus sleeping. But considering the fact that it was after eight and she was still like this, it was disconcerting to him. Especially when she had been off all day.

'Hey David, you coming to feed? We found an awesome bonfire to crash.' called Paul through their mental link.

'Yeah. I'll be there in a minute. Wait for me.'

'Hurry up! I'm hungry!'

"I'll be back." he said once more to her before he took off into the night.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

David returned three hours later. He had fed, gone back to the cave to change and pack some extra clothes and then he and his brothers had strolled around the Boardwalk for a while before he had grabbed Faer some food and gone back to the hotel.

"I'm back." he said boredly as he strolled into the bedroom and stopped. Clothed in a large t-shirt, Faer was curled up on the bed fast asleep, a pillow held close to her beneath the blankets. "The hell is she doing asleep this early?" he asked himself as he walked over and dropped the food upon the table before he threw his own bag down on the floor.

Looking around, he could see that she hadn't done anything since he had left and that thought only bothered him more. She hadn't been acting right. Not since she had woken that morning and more noticeably since she had returned from her shopping spree. She was incredibly quiet from what she had been and her eyes had been downcast all day. Her normal peppy, I'm not going to let you trample all over me, attitude was nowhere to be found. She was so far from what he had known and he wanted it to stop.

Walking over to the bed, he grasped her shoulder and shook her hard. Faer just groaned before she tried to brush him aside and go back to sleep. "Get up." he said, his voice loud and commanding.

"tired."

"Get. Up. Now Faer." he said again. But she ignored him once more and growing frustrated, he grasped her arm tightly and pulled her up. "WAKE UP!" Gasping as she woke with a start, Faer took a moment to gather her bearings before she looked at David and instantly deflated.

"what do you want?" she asked quietly, looking down towards the blankets that were pooled around her lap.

"What do I…what's the matter with you?! Why are you acting like this?!"

"like what?"

"Like this?! Depressed, quiet! Don't tell me you're sick!"

"no. just tired. i took some pain pills. may I go back to bed."

"For one, no. And two, you're lying. I took all of the pain pills with me. Now answer my question. Why are you behaving like this?" Faer didn't listen to the question. Instead she stared at him for another moment before she pulled her arm from his hold and moved to lay down once more. Grasping her arm yet again, he pulled her up and off the bed, growling when she refused to look at him. "Wake up now! It's only eleven. You're not going to sleep so you can get up during the day. Do you understand!?"

"I'm tired."

"Then you can take a cold shower!" he growled before he pulled her after him into the bathroom. Throwing open the curtain he all but threw her into the tub before he turned on the tap and watched as she jumped as the freezing spray hit her. However, instead of getting out, she wrapped her arms about herself and allowed the cold water to descend upon her. "Why aren't you trying to get out?" he questioned annoyed as he leaned against the wall next to the shower and continued to watch as her shirt clung to her frame and her skin started to turn pale.

"you…you wouldn't…let me out…if I tried." she said with chattering teeth before he let out a laugh and turned off the tap.

"You know me so well." he replied as he took a clean towel off the rack and held it in his hand.

"thank…" pausing in her thanks, Faer watched as he pulled it away from her grasp, his ever present smirk gracing his face. "what do you want?" she asked now more coherent but still refusing to meet his gaze.

"Strip." That pulled her from her stupor and looking up to connect their eyes, she could see that he was being serious.

"w…why?" she questioned.

"You can't dry off in soaked clothes Faer. Now strip."

"I don't want to."

"You don't have a choice. Now take them off before you catch a cold."

"I said no!" she yelled at him, turning so she could retrieve a towel from the rack over the toilet. However, Faer paused when he moved to block her.

"You're not getting another towel. So I suggest you strip."

"No!"

"Now you're being modest?" he questioned amused. "I would think after running around practically naked in front of me for the past two days you wouldn't be so hesitant to strip in front of me."

"I was in pain and on medication that made me delirious. Of course I wasn't going to mind doing those things in front of you when I wasn't even half conscious."

"Oh so pain and medication made you act like that?"

"Yes."

"Then what's making you act like this?"

"What?" Pausing, Faer looked at him confused before she lowered her head. "I…I don't know what you're talking about." David scoffed.

"Really? You haven't been like yourself all day. You've been quieter than usual, you let me push you around without retaliation, you were in bed before eleven! What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing. I'm just tired. Now please drop it."

"That's a lie and you know it. You've had plenty of sleep these past couple days, you should be anything but."

"How would you know!?" she cried pushing him a little as her own anger began to take her. "You're not a woman! You've never had a period before! Not to mention the fact that you don't even remember what it's like to be tired. You haven't been human in what, a hundred years?!" David growled before he wrapped his hand about her throat and pinned her against the wall.

"Don't tell me what I do and don't know Faer. You don't understand anything about being a vampire apart from the very tip of the iceberg. You think I don't feel tired? You think I can't feel every single bit of what it meant to be human now as I did then? You're a damn fool and if you think I'm going to put up with this insolence once you change then you've got another thing coming." David saw that Faer was beginning to shake at his words, that she was beginning to crumble in his grasp and lowering his head so he was staring her in the eye, he gave her his usual stare. "I'll warn you once and only once Faer. Don't underestimate me. You have no idea what I'm capable of."

Immediately, Faer tensed and her shaking increased tenfold, the smell of fear nearly overwhelming as he continued to stare her down. He had no idea why she was suddenly so scared of him. This wasn't the first time he had threatened her. But the normal reaction she usually gave him was nowhere to be found. In fact, if he didn't know better, he would have thought this was a completely different person from the woman he thought he had known. This wasn't Faer, it couldn't be. The woman standing in front of him was downright terrified of his presence and he had no idea what had caused it.

Deciding that he had scared her enough, David released his grip about her throat and stood back. Faer didn't move from the spot he had placed her in, instead she remained there, shaking and still completely soaked. This shocked him even more. Normally, she moved right on from their arguments. Acted as though they had never happened, but this. Something else was wrong, he realized with surprise.

' _Stop trying to intimidate me. My ex did that all the time and he was worse than you. So please don't remind me of him. It brings back…painful memories.'_

'Shit.' he thought, watching as she wrapped her arms tighter about herself. He had completely forgotten that she had had an abusive ex. Of course none of that should have mattered to him. He didn't abuse his girls, well not horribly, he disciplined them just like he disciplined the others but nothing that he had said should of…

' _I'll warn you once and only once Faer. Don't underestimate me. You have no idea what I'm capable of.'_ Suddenly, it all made sense. That wasn't the first time she had heard those words. But from her reaction, the ending of it was completely different.

"You're remembering your ex aren't you." he stated flat out. Slowly, Faer nodded her head, her legs giving out as she sunk to the floor. "Is he the one who gave you all those scars you try to hide?" Stiffening even more, Faer didn't answer him and David could see that she was beginning to withdraw into herself. He couldn't allow that.

Leaving the bathroom for a moment, David quickly made himself comfortable before he grabbed a dry pair of panties for her and returned to the bathroom. Grasping the sopping shirt, he pulled it over her head before he tossed it into the tub and then pulled her underwear off and threw it in there too.

"Put these on then come out." he ordered as he handed her the clean pair before he got up. "If you're not out in a minute then I'll drag you out." and with that, he shut the door.

Waiting a minute like he had said, David was about to head back into the bathroom before he paused when the door opened and Faer appeared, wrapped in a towel.

"Did I say you could get a new towel?" he questioned. Quietly, she shook her head that no he hadn't. "Drop it."

"…no."

"Drop it Faer. Now!"

"why?"

"Because I told you to."

"I'm not a pet! I don't have to obey your every command!"

"I never said you were. Now drop the towel so I can take care of you." Looking up at him with wide eyes, Faer was met with an expectant look and nothing but sincerity in David's eyes. He may have been a pompous ass, but sometimes he was anything but. Those moments though were just extremely rare.

"mm…" Another moment passed before reluctantly she did so, her arms coming up to cover herself afterwards. With a sigh, he approached her while opening the towel he had originally grabbed for her before he wrapped it about her and picked her up. "ah!"

"Calm down. You're fine." he said as he walked over to the couch and sat down with her in his lap. Quietly, David dried her off before he tossed the towel away from them and pulled her into the position the two of them had become accustomed too. A blanket pulled over them finished it off and silence filled the room.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

It had been about an hour since he had returned and during that time, David had held Faer close to him, her head lying upon his shoulder while he kept an arm around her back and ran a hand through her hair. It had taken a bit but eventually, her shaking had slowed bit by bit until she lay limply against him.

"You going to tell me what started all of this?" he questioned calmly but commandingly once he had decided that enough time had passed.

"…"

"You know I'm going to find out right?"

"…"

"If I have to bring Lucy into this I will. But I don't think you want your aunt seeing all of those scars you hide. Especially when the makeup you use to cover them is back at the house."

"…I don't want to talk about it."

"I'm not giving you a choice."

"david…please…"

"No. Now tell me why you've been acting so strange today."

"…I had a nightmare."

"That's it? You had a nightmare and as a result you've been behaving like anything but yourself. Bullshit."

"it not exactly a rare occurrence. It happens all the time to people." Scoffing, David tightened his hold as she tried to sit up. "let me go."

"No. Now lay still." Once again, silence descended over the two of them and for a few minutes they allowed it to rule. "Tell me about it."

"no."

"That wasn't a question."

"since when did you start to care?"

"Don't forget that you're my responsibility. If something's going on with you then I need to put a stop to it."

"so you don't care."

"Sigh. Stop digging for deeper meaning in things."

"why not? if I'm going to give my life to this family than I'd like to think someone cares." Sighing yet again, David ran his hand over his face for a moment.

"I'm here aren't I? Doesn't that tell you something?"

"it tells me that you're still obeying Max."

"Don't push your luck!" Pausing for a moment, Faer bit her lip before she lay her head upon his shoulder once more.

"david?"

"What?"

"tell me the truth."

"About what?"

"are…are you staying with me…because you want to? Or because Max told you to?"

'Huh?' Staring at her confused for a moment, David was tempted to flat out tell her the truth but he stopped himself from speaking. If he told her what she wanted to hear, then maybe she would cooperate and tell him what he wanted. Then again, was it really so far from the truth that he was there because he wanted to be?

"david?"

"Max ordered it." he said, watching as a large frown spread across her mouth. "But I stayed because I wanted."

"wha…?"

"I told you earlier. I don't give two shits what Max says. The boys and I just ignore him anyways. It's not like he actually cares what we do. So while he may have ordered that I stay with you. I stayed because I wanted and because even though I promised I would, I still can't trust you."

"…oh."

"Does that sate your curiosity?"

"…"

"Not talking again?"

"…"

"Fine. Be that way. I'll be patient. But not for long. I'll give you half an hour to tell me about your dream. If you don't by the end of it, then I'm going to have Max bring Lucy over. And then I'll show them your back, whether you're kicking and screaming or not."

"i'll tell him how you hit me when I first got here."

"Go ahead. If I get banished then my brothers will follow me soon enough. And then you'll be just another Emerson. And I know you don't want that Faer. Because even though they're your family, you don't really feel that much of a connection to them as you do to the boys and me. Isn't that right? Apart from a few family bonding moments, you don't feel like you belong with them as much as you do with us."

"…"

"Half an hour Faer. Either you talk or I tell."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Last chance Faer. Choose." It had been half an hour and Faer had yet to talk. So like he had promised, David was threatening to tell Max and Lucy about his find. It had surprised him at first to see the scar littered skin of her back when he had moved to lay behind her when he had first arrived, but the anger he had wanted to unleash then was pushed aside by the need to make sure her pain was eased first. Since then, he had yet to bring it up simply because there had been other things on his mind for him to attend too and the scars all looked old so they didn't require immediate attention. "Decide Faer."

"…"

"Fine. Have it your way. I'm calling for Ma…"

"training."

"What?"

"he called it training. Every time I did something wrong…he would punish me. If I didn't dress right or say the right thing he would do it."

"And your parents never noticed anything?"

"They did. But it didn't matter to them. You see…it was part of their plan. Part of their plan for me to be accepted by father's family once more. He was everything. Handsome, smart, financially stable. He was perfect and they made sure to tell me every time I thought to complain about his treatment towards me that I was lucky to find someone like him. That I was lucky for him to accept my parent's proposal of a relationship between us."

"So your crying the other day and your depressed mood today had nothing to do with your parents."

"I haven't shed a tear for them apart from remembering the good memories we had once shared." David was silent for a moment, his hand subconsciously running through her hair yet again as he could feel the underlying fear within her while he stared at the ceiling, his mind rushing in all directions. He was angry, he was confused, he was filled with murderous intent. If he was ever able to get his hands on the man that had done this to his mate, then he would make them regret ever lifting a hand to Faer.

"Was that what your dream was about?" he questioned, trying to push the thought of what her ex must have used in order to cause those scars aside. Faer just pressed herself closer to him while she messed with a piece of his hair.

"…more or less." she replied after a moment.

"What haven't you told me?"

"nothing. may I go back to bed now?"

"Faer." he said grasping her chin before he made her look at him. "You're hiding something. Tell me."

"…"

"Please Faer. Tell me." he said with a calm voice though he wanted to yell at her for being so difficult.

"he kept calling my name." she said with a whimper. "he kept saying my name like he was searching for me." David clenched his jaw as he held in a growl while he tightened his hold about her before he turned onto his side and pulled her with him until she was resting upon her own side on the couch.

"Hey. He's not here. And if he was, I would kill him before he ever lay a hand on you. Understand?" For a minute, Faer was tempted to open her mouth and ask him why he was basically declaring himself her knight, but she paused when she saw the sincerity in his eyes once more. He may not have shown it often and they may have fought more than they got along, but in all essence David really did care about her and she now knew that he would protect her first before he ever allowed his anger to get the better of him.

"yes David." she said as she moved to lay her head beneath his chin once more.

"Good."

"mmm…David?"

"What?"

"may I go to bed now? I'm so tired."

"Try to stay awake a little longer. I don't want you up during the day."

"ok."

"Want to see what's on tv?"

"sure. can we move to the bed though?"

"Yeah." Moving his arms beneath her, David sat up before he stood and moved over to the bed. The sheets were a tangled mess and the mattress was cold which drove a shiver up Faer's spine as he set her upon it, but soon warmth was beginning to overcome her as David moved to lay behind her before he pulled the covers over them. Within another minute the tv over the fireplace was on and David turned it to a movie that was playing.

"dracula?" giggled Faer amused as she made herself comfortable and pressed back against him a little more.

"What can I say? I like the classics."

"uh huh. I think it's because he has a harem at his beck and call."

"I do enjoy my conquests."

"david?"

"Hmm?"

"do…do you think that when I become a vampire…I'll find my mate?" Raising an eyebrow, David looked down at Faer from the corner of his eye as he watched her stare at the tv.

"What brought this on?" he questioned as he tightened his hold about her waist. Faer shrugged, her eyes not leaving the screen as Dracula seduced Lucy from her bed and into the night.

"it's been on my mind. Max and Lucy found each other…and so did Michael and Star. i…I was just wondering what my chance was? however…until now I've never been able to come up with a good enough reason to voice it. this movie just gave me the opportunity."

"It's Dracula." said David with a small scoff as he tried to push the unease within him away. He didn't want to tell her that her chances were good, that they were excellent in fact because he was her mate. He didn't want to say anything because he still didn't want to chance his brothers' lives again simply for romance.

"i know. but in a way it's a love story too."

"Oh yeah?" he asked. He had never really bothered to pay attention to the movie. Normally, if he was watching it, then he was using it as an excuse to get a lay and midday meal close enough to him for him to grab easily. Fear in humans worked so well and when it was something that they would willingly sit through in the name of entertainment, then it just made things easier for him.

"yeah. the main woman, Minna, is Dracula's reincarnated wife. before he became a vampire, he had gone off to war. however, the enemy decided to send incorrect messages to his people and wife. when she learned of his death, she killed herself and he in turn denounced God and became the creature he is now. so when he finds her, he goes after her with the sole thought of having his wife near him once more. of having his mate beside him, in death forever."

David didn't say anything as he watched Faer stare at the tv. The movie seemed to enthrall her but not for the usual reasons. She didn't see the horror of it. How a creature of the undead would come in and take everything a person had known just to obtain what he wanted. Just to obtain Minna. She didn't see the hideousness of the monster he turned into and the trickery he used to lure his victims to him. All she saw was a man who had been alone for centuries searching for his mate.

It really was quite strange.

"david?"

"Yeah?"

"mmm…I know you become warm after you feed, but…why are you still warm? The blood should have died by now." David could tell that she was half asleep. She was mumbling for the most part and pushing back against him for more of the "warmth" he seemed to offer her. Apparently, the warmth was lulling her to slumber. He had to chuckle.

"The only other reason why I'm warm is because you're giving your warmth to me. After all, body heat between two people is always so potent. Don't you think?" he purred into her ear, watching as she shook her head a bit from the feel of his stubble against her skin before she settled down once more and pulled the covers higher over her. "Stay awake another hour." he urged, shaking her shoulder lightly, but Faer just shook her head and turned over so she could bury her face into his chest.

"tired…I told you…those pills made me…sleepy." she mumbled, snuggling a little bit closer.

David was confused. He hadn't given her any pills and he sure as hell hadn't left any that she could get at. If she was under his care than he wanted to be sure that he knew everything she took and how much in case of trouble. He wouldn't have had it any other way. He saw enough stupid humans overdose on the Boardwalk all the time, which meant…

'Oh shit. She wasn't lying! She really bought some pills!' "Faer." he called, grasping her chin and tilting her head up so he could look at her. "Faer, open your eyes. What pills did you take? Tell me?" he ordered slightly panicked. If they were pills she had gotten at the Boardwalk earlier in the day then there was no telling what they were or what kind of danger she was in.

"mmm…" she moaned as sleep started to pull at her more and more.

"Faer! Open your eyes! Where did you get the pills?!" he asked, his voice becoming more and more panicked. "Faer open your eyes or I'll smack you!" he yelled. That seemed to do the trick and opening her eyes, she stared at him blearily for a moment. "Faer, Faer tell me." he said holding her face in his hands, glad that she had opened her eyes. "Where did you get the pills?"

"mm…st..store." she mumbled, her eyes beginning to close once more.

"What store?"

"con…ven…ience…" was the last word she stumbled around before her eyes rolled back into her head and she went completely limp. For a moment, David watched her to make sure her breathing evened out as usual and that her heartbeat was steady and once both of those were clear, he let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding and dropped his head to lay on her chest.

"She went to the damn convenience store." he muttered. "And here I was freaking out that she had gotten conned into buying something Paul would flip for." Looking across the room, he spied her purse. That had to be where she hid the medicine and crawling out of bed, he tossed the sheets over her before he made his way across the room and grabbed the small bag. It didn't take long for him to find the bottle and reading over the dosage and warning labels, he placed it with the others before he moved back to the bed and lay beside her once more.

"mmm." Silently, he watched as she rolled onto her stomach, her hands coming up to rest near her face while the covers slipped a little and allowed the first glimpse of silvery lines that ran across her back to show. David paused, a frown marring his face as he stared at them for a moment before he reached his hand out and pushed the sheet down further.

Her back was covered and how she was able to hide it all so well behind makeup was beyond him. 'She must be used to the routine.' he thought as he ran his hand over one of them. It ran from the top of her left shoulder all the way across her back to her right hip. Jagged, a bit wide, the wound to have caused it must have been pretty nasty and David had no doubt that a knife had been used. Some he assumed had been caused by a whip, others a belt. Either way, his mate had been tortured numerous times. 'Training. He trained her to be subservient. Just for him.' David had to smirk. 'Good thing she's stronger than that. I don't think I could stand a shell for a mate.'

Pulling the sheet back up so she wouldn't get too cold, David wrapped his arm about her waist and moved her until she was curled up against his chest, her head resting beneath his chin. The position was nice he had to admit, but he would never say it to her face. He still couldn't risk it. Not until he knew that Faer wouldn't betray him too.

With a shake of his head, he went back to watching tv, allowing himself to indulge in the "new" technology for once. He didn't normally allow himself the treat, he usually preferred a good book to television, but it was alright to see what the new decade brought in entertainment every once in a while. So that was how he spent his fourth night with Faer. Holding her close and keeping her nightmares at bay while flipping the channel every so often so he could see how much further the world had come in entertainment.

It was peaceful and for a moment, David forgot his life that revolved around the night outside of the room he and Faer were using for the time being. He wasn't leader of the Lost Boys, he wasn't in charge of keeping his family safe, he wasn't Max's oldest childe and he wasn't in danger of being banished or killed because his sire finally got fed up with him. He was just David, who was relaxing in bed while holding a woman that constantly drove him nuts but was becoming closer to him the more and more he found himself within her presence. It was nice and for a little while he found himself wishing the peace he felt would last.

However, David knew more than anyone else that peace never lasted. And judging by Faer's unease lately and her nightmare the previous night, it seemed like trouble was coming. The only question was…when.


	15. Time To Go Home

"Wasn't expecting to see you. Shouldn't you be back at the hotel having fun with Faer?" questioned Marko as David walked up to them on the Boardwalk. It was going on the fifth night that David had spent with Faer, the first on Christmas and then three at the hotel, well now four and after their little fight and subsequent reconciling, David had asked his brothers to stay away from the hotel unless he called them.

"Faer kicked me out for the night." he said simply before Marko and Paul chuckled.

"Oh?! Is there some trouble in the Love Shack?" questioned Paul before he burst out laughing.

"Shut up!" he yelled. "She had Lucy and Sam bring her some things this afternoon so she's busy working on a project. Said that I shouldn't be forced to put up with her all the time and that I should go make sure you idiots don't get yourselves into trouble."

"Ouch bro. That hurts."

"Yeah well, I'll admit. Even though you idiots do tend to get into trouble quite a bit, I am relieved to get out of there for the night." Quietly, Marko and Paul glowered while Dwayne smirked and looked at his brother.

"Getting too close for your liking?" he asked, noticing the slight change in David's usual demeanor. He wasn't so standoffish as he usually was and the hardness of his eyes wasn't quite there either. Perhaps Faer had been working her charm on David after all.

"Whatever." David just grunted before he motioned for the others to follow him over to a deserted alley. "Let's go eat. I'm hungry." Hooting and hollering, the boys obeyed and together they took off into the night sky, shielded from prying eyes by the darkness of the alley around them. It didn't take long of course for them to find a satisfying meal and dropping down after a moment, they struck with their usual fierceness and enjoyed the screams that filled the air.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The Next Night

"Do you think I'll be able to go home soon?" asked Faer as David returned to the hotel room from a night on the Boardwalk. It was roughly four in the morning so there was still a few hours before the sun rose, giving him some time to relax with Faer and maybe watch a movie. Their relationship had come far in terms of them becoming more comfortable around each other, but both of them had refused to bring up the ache that was slowly building within them the more and more time they spent together.

At her quiet question, David took a deep breath of the air in the room and for a moment he paused. He had expected to smell the tantalizing scent of a female in heat, but it was barely there. The last fragments of it just clinging to her skin. If she showered, then she would probably be clean of the scent and safe to return to the house.

David wasn't going to lie. The fact that his little "vacation" with Faer was coming to a close kind of upset him. It had been nice to return to the peace she exuded each night. To watch movies with her back pressed against his chest, or to just sit quietly upon the couch and talk. It was nice and it sucked that it was about to end. She would go back to the house with Max and his pack and he would rejoin his brothers at the cave. Everything would go back to normal.

'The hell am I thinking.' he thought shaking his head. 'The sooner she goes home, the quicker things can get back to normal.' Even though he had spent several days with her and learned a lot more about her and himself than he had ever thought he would know, David was still firm in his stance about staying away from anything serious with Faer. Until she turned and he knew her reaction to her new life, he was going to stay far away from it. Now whether he would be successful or not was a completely different story. But he was anything if not stubborn and he was ready to get back to his usual routine. Haunting the Boardwalk with his brothers and egging Faer on till she pissed him off and he steered clear of the house in order to regain himself once more.

"David?" Coming out of his thoughts, David turned to look at Faer who was sitting in bed and waiting for his reply. "Are you okay?"

"Fine." he replied with his usual stoic voice. "And if you shower thoroughly, you can go back. I'll inform Max so he can come get you tomorrow night." For a moment, it looked as though Faer was disappointed. "What's wrong?" he questioned.

"Nothing. I just…I thought…"

"Yes?"

"…that maybe I had to wait a while longer because of Lucy." David scoffed. He could tell that Faer was lying but he wasn't about to question her more. He didn't want to get into anything too big that would stir his ire.

'Besides,' he thought with a bit of a growl. 'If she didn't want to go home just yet, then she shouldn't have said anything to begin with.' "Your scent that drives vampires crazy fades with your cycle. When it stops so does the scent. You just need to make sure you scrub yourself extremely well. Got it?" Lowering her eyes, Faer nodded her head before she leaned back against the pillows.

"Ok. Do…do you want to watch another movie tonight?" Raising an eyebrow at her behavior, David nodded his head before he started to perform his nightly ritual. Making sure the windows were still sealed under the spell and that everything was locked for the night, he quickly changed into the sleeping pants he had been using before he moved to crawl into the bed.

"Come here." he ordered as he settled himself and obediently, Faer complied. During the last couple of days, Faer had been extremely compliant with his commands and for a while he had wondered if it was because of her nightmares and the fact that he was able to keep them at bay. But after a little prodding, she had finally told him that she listened to the commands he was giving her because she could see in his eyes that he wasn't doing it just to be an ass, but because he was worried and that was enough for her to trust him a little more. "What movie do you want to watch?"

"I don't know." she replied, adjusting herself a little more. At the moment, her head was resting upon his arm and her back was pressed against his chest while he kept an arm about her waist. The position wasn't too bad, in fact it felt nice, but the fact that things were about to go back to normal was what was making it uncomfortable.

During the last few days, her and David had come to an understanding and she had truly begun to feel as though things were working out well between the two of them. However, it seemed that David was ready for everything to go back to the way it had been, which made her wonder if during this time he had simply been amusing her because Max had said so.

' _Max ordered it. But I stayed because I wanted.'_ David's words rang in her mind and frowning from her spot, she pushed it aside as he flipped through the channels until he stopped upon a film.

"another horror?" she questioned quietly as Frankenstein played across the screen.

"Is that alright?" he asked in return.

"yeah." Adjusting themselves a little more, the two of them watched the movie quietly before David broke the silence.

"I never did ask. But where is this project you have been working on?"

"Hmm?"

"Your project. The one you have thus far, refused to let me see even though you showed me the fabric."

"oh. It's put away."

"No shit. Why?"

"Because."

"Because why?" he said grasping her chin and turning her head slightly so they could connect eyes.

"I don't want anyone to see it. not yet anyways."

"What are you working on? A dress?"

"…yes."

"Why?"

"because." David just raised an eyebrow at that.

"You sure enjoy spontaneously doing things don't you?"

"you mean like you and the boys?" A chuckle filled the air next and letting her chin go, David settled once more as the movie reached its climax. "david?"

"Hmm?" he asked, not moving from his place, although he tightened the arm about her waist so she knew she had his attention.

"are…are you going…to stay with me next month?" Immediately tension filled the air and growling slightly, David tightened his hold about her waist so that it began to hurt before he grasped her hair with his free hand and pulled her head back so her neck was open to his now descended fangs that he ran along her neck.

"There will not be a repeat of this next month. Understood? In four weeks, I expect you to either be a half or a full vampire. Got it?!" Whimpering a little, Faer nodded her head quickly, having a little trouble breathing as David's hold was making it difficult for her lungs to expand. "Do you understand, Faer!?"

"yes!" Releasing his grip some, David clenched his teeth when the first thing Faer did once he had loosened his hold was to try to move as far away from him as possible. The slight shake in her body and the scent on the air confirmed her fear and it only angered him more. This wasn't how their last night at the hotel was supposed to have gone. They were supposed to have relaxed, fallen asleep after a movie and left on better terms than when they had met last. Now…now it was looking as though all of the progress they had made was now in vain. Faer was scared of him once more and he was angry almost to the point where he felt that he needed to go back to the cave and collect himself.

"Faer." he said with a sigh after a moment while pulling her close to him once more even though she gripped the sheets to try to prevent him from doing so. "You should know by now I'm not going to hurt you."

"…I don't…thi…"

"Just be quiet for now." he ordered, his voice sounding tired from both the situation and the fact that the sun was beginning to rise. "It's not safe. I've told you that once already. It's not safe, it won't ever be safe. Especially not when you're a human living amongst vampires. Max knows this but he won't do anything. He won't make Sam become a half. But where I can't do anything for Sam, I can do something for you. You need to change Faer. And the quicker you do it, the better. Understand?" Shakily nodding her head, Faer didn't say anything else and watching her quietly, David moved them about until he had her pressed against his side, her head resting upon his chest and one of her arms draped over his stomach while he had one of his arms wrapped about her back keeping her in place. "Go to sleep Faer." he ordered calmly, pulling the covers up so she wouldn't get cold. "Just go to sleep and everything will back to normal come nightfall." Not answering him, Faer just closed her eyes and did as told while David stared at the ceiling, lost in his thoughts for a while longer.

In a way, he was still angry that she thought she would be human still come her next cycle, but at the same time the thought was tempting. Another week with her alone in a hotel room. It was so tempting. But it couldn't be. She had to turn. She had to turn soon, or else he was afraid he might lose his mind. He had been able to deal with Star not turning for so long simply because he knew she wasn't his mate, but Faer. Faer was his, and the thought that she was so close but so far away was painful the more and more he thought about it. He wanted to know if there was a chance for them, if there was a chance that he could have her and keep his family intact. He wanted to know, he needed to know and he didn't think he could control himself.

Only a few days since he had learned that she was his mate, David had felt the pull towards her more than he had in the past two months. His being cried out for her, to force her to drink if she didn't do it soon, just so he could dominate her. Keep her by his side and make sure he knew everything that was going on with her at all times. He wanted to taste her flesh on a far deeper level than he had been able to thus far and the constant thought that she was right there, was driving him mad with the need to fulfill the primal desire to claim her as his.

' _So when he finds her, he goes after her. With the sole thought of having his wife beside him once more. Of having his mate with him forever, in death.'_

David growled as he felt the need to have her rise yet again. Now he knew how Max felt when Lucy had appeared. It was almost impossible to quell the need to place himself between her thighs and claim her as his, mark her throat with his bite and infuse their blood so their bond would be stronger than the ones he shared with the others.

'Not so easy is it David?' came Max's voice in his mind and growling, David moved Faer over and stood from the bed before he walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

'No, it's not. But unlike you, I'm putting my pack first before her. I have my priorities straight where you thought with nothing more than your dick. So back off!' David could hear Max growl but he could also feel the surge of sadness that filled their connection for a moment. However, none of that mattered to him much at the second. He was still a long ways off from ever forgiving Max for what he had done. Especially when it looked like he and his brothers were close to being run out of Santa Carla so their sire could move on with his perfect family.

'David, I…'

'I don't want to hear it.' he said cutting him off. 'Faer's ready to go home. Have someone come get her tonight in the car. She has too much shit for me to bring back on the bike.'

'I'll inform Lucy. Make sure she bathes well before we collect her.'

'Yeah.' Cutting off the connection, David placed himself beneath the freezing spray of water and sighed. Even though the cold temp didn't do much for him, the little pin pricks from the icy drops of water helped him to center himself as they fell upon his back. In a way, he was grateful that Max had decided to but in. It had only furthered his resolve to not have anything too close with Faer till after she turned. Of course, getting to beat Max down with his past mistakes was a bonus too. But still, the urge was great and he desperately needed the distraction to calm down.

About an hour later, he sluggishly stepped from the bathroom, clothed in nothing but a towel about his waist and making his way over to the bed, he stared down at the figure sleeping upon the mattress. The urge wasn't as great as it had been and he was truly thankful for that.

Letting the towel drop, he crawled beneath the covers and took his place next to her. Instantly, she curled up against him, a slight shiver running through her body as she felt the iciness of his skin before it started to warm a bit from her own body heat.

Watching with amusement for another minute, David slowly turned onto his side and wrapped his arms about her, pulling her closer to him. Even if he didn't want anything more from her till he was sure it was safe, he could at least indulge in this small part. And making himself comfortable, he closed his eyes and allowed the sun to pull him into a deep sleep.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Shooting up with a burst of speed, David looked around the room with yellow eyes and claws ready to strike down whatever threat it was that had caused Faer to scream. However, after a moment of searching and spotting absolutely nothing, he turned to stare at the beat red woman who was refusing to look at him and held a pillow in front of her.

"What's wrong?" he questioned gruffly, very annoyed that he had been awoken in the way that he had.

"uh…you…you're…uh…n…na…"

"OUT WITH IT WOMAN!" he shouted.

"YOU'RE NAKED!"

"Huh?!" Looking down at his now bare body that stood in the middle of the room, David saw that he was indeed naked. "Oh." he replied, as he relaxed his stance. "What of it?"

"What?!" cried Faer as she looked at him before she sqweaked and brought the pillow up once more to shield her sight. "What do you mean what of it?!"

"I'm naked, so what. You said yourself that you weren't a virgin." he said with a grin forming on his face. Oh this was plenty amusing after the way things had gone the previous night.

"That doesn't mean I enjoy seeing people naked! Put some clothes on!"

"And if I refuse?"

"Oh! You're such an ASS!" David couldn't stop himself from laughing outright at that. At least things were somewhat back to normal. Faer was being herself again, well the one he had gotten to know at the house at least, and that was good. Perhaps things would go back on track and they'd start up their disputes with each other again.

"I'm not going to lie. Yes, I am and yes I do enjoy every moment of it. So with that said…" Walking back over to the bed in all of his naked glory, David grasped her ankle and pulled her towards him before he took the pillow and threw it across the room. "How about you and I have some fun? Say a quick fuck and then a steamy shower?" Prepared to let out a scream, Faer began to open her mouth while David started to move so he could take her lips with his when…

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Pausing in his fun, David turned towards the door and glared at it. Who the fuck was interrupting his mischief?

"who's that?" asked Faer with a small, shaky voice as she followed his line of sight to the door as well. Whoever it was, she knew they were going to be in big trouble with David, even though she was grateful for the distraction so she could escape David's grip at the moment. She had no desire to be so intimate with him. None what so ever. She may have been clad in a pair of panties, but that didn't mean she wanted them to come off so her and David could screw.

"Get in the bathroom and don't come out till I say." ordered David as he stood and walked towards the door, still clad in only his birthday suit. Nodding her head, Faer rushed to do as she was told, worried that it might be one of their neighbors looking to make a complaint about the noise and what exactly David would do in retaliation for said complaint.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

"Who is it?" questioned David as he stared at the door with his usual stoic gaze.

"The muffin man. Who do you think David? Open the damn door!" called Max from the other side and staring at the door with wide eyes, David looked towards the windows and noticed that it was indeed night and the seal upon them had worn off once again. "David!"

"Yeah, yeah." Opening the door, he smirked when Max froze as he saw his state of undress. "Well? Are you going to come in or keep gawking?"

"Get dressed! I don't want to see your naked ass!" Chuckling, David just ignored Max for a moment as he walked over and knocked on the bathroom door.

"It's just Max. Hop in the shower and wash yourself thoroughly. I'll bring you some clothes so keep the door unlocked."

"…k.." A minute later the sound of the shower starting began and pleased that she had listened to him, David moved to put on his clothes while Max moved to sit upon the couch.

"Is this how you have been dressing in her presence all week?" he asked.

"What's it to you?" replied David while his sire growled.

"What's it to me?! I'm trying to figure out if you've had Faer screaming more than a few times that the magic surrounding you failed! That's what!"

"Why would it fail. It essentially creates a soundproof shield around the room."

"Yes, well after Faer figured out what we were so quickly, I have deduced that if you are in one spot too long with the same people constantly around you, then the magic will eventually rub off on them as well, rendering it ineffectual. Of course, as I said, the people must be around us constantly for a long period of time but it still worries me that some of the other occupants in this hotel could have been privy to your loud moments."

"I doubt it." said David as he pulled on his boots and gloves. "I haven't been around for the magic to rub off on others. Faer's been kicking me out the last couple nights so I can "be free"." The sound of Max almost choking as he said that last part had David smirking widely while he got into Faer's bag and grabbed a set of clothes for her.

"Does she know?" questioned Max as he watched David make his way to the bathroom door.

"No and she's not going to. Got it?!" Knocking on the door, he didn't wait for a reply before he opened the door and stepped inside, shutting it behind him. "You almost done?"

"uh…I don't…I don't know if I'm scrubbing enough." she replied.

"Give me your arm." he ordered.

"Why?"

"Just give it!" Sighing, Faer reluctantly held her arm out beyond the curtain, making sure that it didn't open while she felt David take her outstretched arm in his hand. Leaning his head down, he sniffed along her skin. Nothing. She was clean, the last fragments of that tantalizing scent dissipating. "You're good. Hurry up and get out."

"ok. Would you hand me a towel please?" The sound of Faer rinsing her hair filled the air while David did as asked and grabbed her a towel.

"Here."

"Thank you." Shutting off the water, Faer quickly took the towel and wrapped it about herself before she opened the curtain and went beet red.

"You act like I haven't seen you naked." he said with a slight grin as she refused to look at him.

"Please go." Frowning, David growled before he huffed and turned, leaving the bathroom with a huff at her dismissal.

"She's all yours." he said as he made his way towards the door. "I've had enough of her." Not saying anything else, he opened the door and slammed it on his way out, all the while trying to ignore the slight hurt at her rejection.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Did you find anything you liked dear?" asked Lucy as they met up at the car ready to go home. After Max had picked her up from the hotel, he had taken her to the store so Lucy could drive her home. Since her cycle was done and she had bathed efficiently, it was safe for her to be around Lucy and not drive the half vampire crazy in the process.

"Yeah." replied Faer quietly. It was just a little after nine and Lucy was done with her errands at the shop for the night, so she and Faer were going to head to the house.

"Oh what did you get?!"

"I got a little more fabric to finish the design I started on."

"Well that will be nice to see once it's done."

"Yeah." Getting into the car, the two women waved to Max through the window before they took off down the road.

"Is that your wife?" asked a tall man with short dark brown hair in a pair of jeans with a button up shirt.

"Yup. Am I the luckiest man in the world or what?" answered Max with a smile.

"Very lucky."

"Hahahaha. You know, if I'm not mistaken, I don't believe I've seen you around here before."

"Well I'm new to town. Just moved here a few days ago actually."

"Well, welcome to Santa Carla uh…"

"James. James Henricks."

"Well James, welcome to Santa Carla. I'm sure you'll love it here. I'm Max by the way."

"Thank you Max. I'm sure I'll like it here too."


	16. He's Found Me

It was New Year's Eve and everyone was busy doing their own thing. New Year's was surprisingly busy for the Boardwalk and therefore Max was needed at the store with Lucy, while Michael and Star had gone on another date and Sam had gone to see his friends the Frog brothers who surprisingly had calmed down their vampiric tendencies.

Of course, that was only after they had found out that their Mother had invited the boys in without paying attention. With the main vampires of Santa Carla able to enter their house, the boys quickly agreed to leave them alone at least in exchange for them never coming into the Comic Book Store or their house again. Sam, was the obvious exception, who, after several attempts, had finally regained their trust again.

"Dwayne!" cried Laddie as he ran up to the dark haired vampire.

"How are you little man?" asked Paul as he ruffled the child's hair.

"Fine! Faer made me potato soup for supper with a turkey sandwich. She said that there's plenty if you guys want some to."

"Where is Faer?" asked Marko as he wandered into the kitchen.

"She's in the basement. She's been down there since she came home yesterday. Lucy says she's sewing, but she won't let any of us see." Looking at the stairs to the basement, Marko started to move towards them before he froze.

"Leave her be. Obviously she's busy." Going to sit down at the table, David leaned back before he motioned to the others. "Well? Serve it up!"

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

It was ten seconds to midnight and the boys were in the living room with Laddie as they counted down the clock. Normally, they would have been out on the Boardwalk, taking part in the drunken fools wandering around. But the boys hadn't been feeling very comfortable. David felt like something was about to happen and Marko had only added to that when he had finally told him about Faer's slip up the night she had been at the cave. Now, it was seconds to midnight and she hadn't been seen all night. Did she feel the tension in the air as well?

"3, 2, 1, HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Smirking as he watched the others dance around like idiots as the clocks chimed midnight on January 1, 1990, David couldn't help but feel somewhat amused at the situation. Paul was busy getting high and dancing like an idiot while Marko bounced Laddie on his shoulders, which for him was surprising. He normally didn't play to that extent with the boy. Finally, leaning against the kitchen doorway, Dwayne shook his head at all of them before they paused, the phone ringing. Wandering over, Paul took his joint out of his mouth and picked it up.

"Herrman residence!" he said in an overly excited voice. Hmming and nodding his head, he told whoever it was on the phone to wait a minute before he wandered downstairs. The boys could just hear him telling Faer that she had a phone call.

Someone had called Faer? They thought she had said she didn't have anyone. Watching as Paul wandered back in and went back to smoking his joint, they all looked to the doorway as Faer appeared, their eyes widening as she picked up the phone.

Apparently, what she had been working on was a dress and a very intricate one at that. Well, David knew that but the others didn't. Long and sleek, a lavender flowing gown wrapped about her body and flowed out about her feet while over that was a long dark purple corset with black spider like material over it, giving it depth. The corset traveled over her upper body, encasing her neck in a high collar while it flowed down to cut off at her knees. The corset was more of a long coat with a cut out at her chest to display her breasts that were encased in the lavender material. Complete with flowing sleeves and an updo, she was stunning and David felt his loins stir at the thought of getting her out of it. However, their attention was drawn to her face when she spoke.

"Hello?" she asked, obviously confused herself.

"Happy New Year's Butterfly." said a voice that made her blood freeze in her veins. "Are you ready to return to me?" Silence reigned as she stared at the wall before her. How had he found her number? How had he found her? She hadn't told anyone. She didn't have anyone to tell! How… "I'm waiting my little butterfly. Fly back home and I'll be lenient."

"Kela." Hanging up the phone silently, she turned on her heel and made her way back into the kitchen. No one knew what had happened. No one had heard the one sided conversation but the boys could all hear her heart beating wildly.

"Forget a friend Faer?" asked David as he watched her freeze. But she continued on just as quickly descending the stairs to the basement while ignoring any further questions or remarks they sent her way, the entire time her heart beating faster and faster while she tried to control her breathing.

The sound of footsteps coming back up the stairs filled their ears before the kitchen door opened and closed, causing them all to look at each other before they turned their attention to look out the window as a black cloaked figure ran away from the house. David stood, his eyes glued to the shrinking figure as they disappeared into the woods that surrounded the property.

"Laddie, stay here." Nodding his head, the boy sat down upon the couch, prepared to wait for the boys as they made their way outside and followed after Faer. She had gotten far in only a few short minutes, but the sound of her heartbeat in the still night, easily led them straight to her.

Standing in a clearing of the forest surrounded by trees, Faer stood panting as she clutched her chest. Of course, Marko and the others tried to go to her, but David stopped them. He knew something was up here and he wanted answers. What was going on?

"My lady." she cried, falling to the ground. "My lady PLEASE!" The panic was evident in her voice and almost as though she had summoned some form of spiritual being, moonlight flooded the clearing and she collapsed completely with a sigh of relief. Slowly, they could hear her heart calm, but the smell of salt and the sound of soft cries filled the air as she slowly pushed herself up and looked at the moon, her voice rising again as anger filled it. "That's why! That's why you told me to wait! That's why you told me not to drink! Because you knew! You knew!" she said breaking down into sobs. "what do I do? My lady what do I do?" Crying, she tried to calm her tears, but they kept falling. She thought she was rid of him but now. "he's found me. James has found me."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Silently, the boys watched as Faer spoke to her now obvious Goddess. They thought it was weird that she would have such an odd deity to council with, but when they thought about it, it explained everything. Why she was always looking outside, why she always sat in the window when the moon was out. She was taking comfort and serenity from a higher power that she believed in. And apparently, said deity had told her not to drink the blood and that something was going to happen.

"i can't." she said softly as she sat upon the ground and kept her head bowed. "i can't ask that of them. it's too much. i don't want to be a nuisance, more than I already am." The moonlight seemed to grow brighter in reaction to her words and Faer dropped her head a little more as thought she was being scolded. "…yes, my lady." she answered as her voice broke. Whatever it was that her "Lady" had told her to do, she was accepting reluctantly before she stood, her head still bowed. "goodnight my lady." The moonlight glowed softly before it vanished behind the clouds and the boys couldn't help but think that maybe just maybe, she really had found a god amongst the universe. "i'm so tired." she whispered as she pulled the hood of her cloak up once more and made her way back to the house slowly.

The boys were quick to return, standing in the living room as though nothing had happened when the kitchen door opened and quiet footsteps slowly retreated down the stairs.

"Stay here." said David as he stood. He had heard what Faer had said in the field but not enough to answer his questions and now, now he wanted answers.

Walking down the stairs to the basement, he stopped at the first door. It was the logical choice. She had had most of her boxes placed in there and the others contained unused furniture. The point was only proven when soft rustling echoed from behind the door and quietly, he raised his hand to knock upon it.

"May I come in?"

"please don't." said a soft voice.

"Why not?" he asked.

"I'm getting undressed."

"Haven't I already seen everything?" There was a pause before he heard her sigh.

"would you help me?" Opening the door, David stepped in and shut it, turning the lock so the others wouldn't be able to barge in. He could see the semi relief on her face as he did so and that just made him frown before he looked around.

"A sewing room?" he questioned amused at the mock sewing station and the scraps of fabric and thread spread all about. Apparently, she hadn't bothered to clean up here like she did at the hotel. The room was a mess, but the result of said mess was stunning. Looking her over more closely now, he noticed all of the intricate detail and the way it showed her figure nicely. It really was a gorgeous gown and the color suited her beautifully. Giving her his classic grin, he motioned for her to turn round with his finger, eyeing the way the fabric flowed behind her gently. When she was done, she turned her back to him.

"i…i can't get it unlaced." she admitted with a blush and smirking now, he stepped up to her and began to undo the long lace, slowly pulling it out of the eyelets to reveal her back before the lavender dress greeted his view.

"You made this in four days?" he said as he helped her pull it over her head. The weight of the corset telling him that it was made of several layers for strength.

"um…yes. Though to be honest, this dress took me longer than others." David blinked. This dress had taken longer than others she had made? Handling the fabric carefully now, he set it down on a clear surface before he returned to unclasp the dress she was having trouble with. As he pulled down the zipper to reveal more of her flesh, he paused, his anger coming back to life as he saw the scars that littered her back once more and in even more detail than before. David had no doubt that several of them were whip marks, a few he believed had been cut into her skin with a knife. However it angered him that quite a few, while they looked old, also looked like they were no more than a couple months old and she had been with them for two. "please don't look." she whispered sadly as he ran his fingers over them and sent a shiver up her spine.

"What is his name?" The anger was evident in his voice, but Faer just shook her head, trying to pull away from him. But he wouldn't let her. "Tell me."

"i don't want to say. it doesn't matter now anyway. It's in the past and they're healed. Please, I want to get dressed."

"Why must you be so stubborn!? Why can't you just answer my question?! What is his name!?"

"…I don't…"

"Is it James?! Is that who called you?!"

"how…how did…?"

"So it was him."

"I didn't say that."

"Don't play games with me. Was it or was it not James who did this to you?!"

"…" The silence was enough to answer his question and grasping the dress in his hand, he finished pulling it off of her until she stood in only her underwear.

"Stop!"

"Hold still. I want to see it all clearly now. What all he's done to you." The venom in his voice made her freeze. She had no choice. He wasn't giving her one and hanging her head in defeat she shivered in apprehension as she felt his eyes roam her back, his fingers tracing the scars and the sound of his growl as he let her know just how pissed he was. She wished they were back in the hotel room, when he thought they were far older than what was the truth.

When it was over, David found her nightshirt lying in a corner and grabbing it, he pulled it over her head before he grasped her shoulders and turned her to face him.

"Tell me who James really is Faer. He wasn't just your boyfriend was he?"

"no." she said shaking her head.

"Who is he?"

"No."

"Who is he?!" he yelled, shaking her a bit.

"No!"

"DAMN IT FAER! TELL ME!"

"MY FIANCE!" Staring at her in stunned silence, David took a step back.

"What did you say?"

"he's my fiancé. I…like I said, my parents set us up. They said he was perfect. Handsome, smart, financially stable. He was perfect and I was lucky to have someone like him. But he…" she said wrapping her arms about herself. "He was always so easy to get angry. If I didn't dress right or say the right thing he would…he would "train" me. Like a pup through obedience school, he would train me to be perfect. Just for him. And because my parents saw it as a way to make sure I became absolutely proper and what they wanted, they never said anything. Before I knew it, we were engaged and it was like I was a prisoner. I couldn't go anywhere without him or them and he very rarely left town."

"He was gone when you got into the accident, wasn't he." It wasn't a question and nodding her head, she started to speak, her voice becoming choked.

"it was the perfect chance. The doctors didn't know about him, the records hadn't been changed to add him and I always made sure Aunt Lucy's number was in my wallet for just such a thing. Within hours of the accident, I was on a bus and headed here. I thought I was safe."

"But he found you." Faer nodded her head once more, allowing her body to fall to the floor. "Drink."

"no."

"Damnit woman! How can you be this stupid!? Drink and he can never hurt you! He will never lay a finger on you!"

"not yet."

"Why?! Because your lady told you so?! You're pathetic! There's no such thing as God!"

"get out." Turning to stare at her, David watched as the tears finally fell before she raised a hand and pointed to the door. "GET OUT!"

"I knew it." he said as he walked to the door. "Another Star. Fucking perfect." Slamming the door behind him, he ignored the loud sobs that filled the air and storming upstairs he ignored Max and Lucy who had just gotten home and walked outside. "LET'S GO!"

Leaving, the bikers made for the Boardwalk. David was livid and when he was this pissed, all he wanted to do was bathe in blood and listen to screams. The few who chose to roam the dark still, picked the wrong night to do so.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Hun? Faer?" asked Lucy as she tried to coax Faer to open the door. But the distraught girl didn't answer.

"Faer. Open the door please. Lucy and I are both very worried about you. Did David hurt you?" asked Max as he took a turn.

"No!" she cried. "He didn't do anything." Lying easily to the both of them, Faer sighed and leaned her head back against the wall. She may have been upset with him but that was no reason for her to get him in trouble with Max.

"Then why are you crying hun?" asked Lucy.

"I finished my dress." she said.

"Isn't that a good thing dear?"

"I just realized it was the last dress I asked for mom's opinion on." Even though that wasn't the truth, she felt the new tears prickle her eyes. No matter how much her mom and her had fought, the one thing they were always able to gossip over was her designs and what fabrics to use. How to tweek them, colors, hairstyles, accessories, the whole shebang even though she didn't dress herself that way every day. It was nice refuge, a nice moment of rare bonding and now it was gone. The last dress her mother had helped her design was made and now there was nothing. Nothing but the fond memories she would see when she looked at the web like mesh over the main color of the corset. Or the way the bust was pleated so nicely to enhance the look. All of the little details on this dress. They were the last her mother would ever suggest to her and sobbing for all new reasons now, Faer didn't allow anyone into the room, nor did she allow herself to leave it.


	17. He's Come

It had taken a lot of coaxing but after four days of hanging around the house, Lucy had finally talked her into going to the Boardwalk while she was at work. At first, Faer didn't know what to do and then as an hour slowly managed to tick by she found herself energized by the bright lights and smiles everyone wore. It was a contagious place and soon she was browsing around searching out different things. It had been so long since she had been able to do something like this. Well, not really, she had had her two hours of freedom when she was with David, but this. There was no time limit, no person to report to in a hurry, no goal to set her sights on and finish it quickly. She was absolutely free and it was wonderful. Wandering around, she had no set destination in mind and she was excited.

Stopping at the fabric store first, she grabbed a few more pieces of cloth and some thread to keep her occupied before she walked into the clothing store. The idea of expanding her closet even more was very appealing. She had only been able to grab a few outfits and her goal was to replace just about everything within her closet. All the reminders of James and how he had dressed her, she wanted gone.

At the thought of the repulsive man, Faer shivered. She hated thinking about him and shaking her head, she banished the thought away. James wasn't here. He may have found her phone number, but there was no way he was in Santa Carla. No way. Right?

It was nearing eleven when she exited the shop, four bags filled with fabric, shirts and jeans, a skirt or two along with lingerie and a pair of shoes in her hands. She was happy. She had enjoyed herself for once and bought what made her comfortable. The thought of going home to wash her new clothes and cut the fabric she had bought made her excited once more. The Boardwalk was wonderful but she wasn't used to such crowded places. It was time to go home.

"Oh Butterfly. Did you enjoy yourself?" Whipping her head around, she searched the crowd as an eerily familiar voice echoed in her ears. It couldn't be, it just couldn't. He wasn't here. He wasn't in Santa Carla! "Return to me Butterfly. The longer you wait, the worse you make it for yourself." She didn't know what to do. She couldn't see him, she couldn't spot him but she could feel his eyes on her. "Butterfly." he taunted and the second she felt fingers ghosting her skin, she dropped her bags and ran for it. Never. She would never become his.

Breath harsh, heart pounding out of her chest, her eyes searched for the video store, but she couldn't find it. She was lost and the cold chill on the back of her neck said that he had followed her. 'My lady!' she cried looking up to the night sky. 'Help! Please help!' Once again, it seemed as though she had truly found a blessed being. Shining her light, Faer followed the slim sliver of moonlight. It was shining on a bridge just a little further ahead of her and breaking through the crowd, she gasped in relief when she saw David and the boys there, standing near their bikes and hanging around. 'Thank you!' she cried out relieved.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

David and the boys had been hanging out around the bridge for a while now. The night was still young and they were looking for their dinner. The choices tonight were excellent as usual. People falling into their trap easily. All that was left was to choose who they would take. The peaceful silence though was interrupted when they saw Faer running towards them, a large smile on her face.

"Hi love!" she said in a high pitched voice as she leaned forward to kiss David on the cheek. The others baulked and people walking passed them froze as well. No one had ever done that to David. Ever. And confused with his usual scowl upon his face, he watched as she grasped his hands with a smile on her face and turned him around towards the railing, pulling his arms to wrap about her back while she placed her hands on his shoulders and buried her head in his chest.

David knew something was up. Her body was covered in a cold sweat, her heart was beating out of her chest and she was shaking like a leaf, the scent of fear permeating the air. At first, he was going to push her away, but she grasped his shirt tightly beneath his jacket.

"please don't!" she whispered quickly.

"What happened?" he asked.

"james. he's here." Instantly, David tightened his hold about her and leaned his head down to rest upon hers, shielding her completely from the world about them.

"Did he do anything to you?"

"he tried…he tried to take me."

"Dwayne."

"Yeah." Motioning for Paul to come with him, the two bikers walked off into the crowd, their eyes searching for someone who didn't belong. The task wouldn't be hard. Most of the people on the Boardwalk were regulars, same as them and they were pretty sure that whoever this James person was, their eyes would be trained solely upon David's back and the woman he was concealing.

"i'm sorry." she said, pressing herself against him further. "i didn't want to get you involved but i…i panicked."

"Calm down." he said, running his hand up and down her back. "You're safe now."

"i'm sorry." It was a little while before Dwayne and Paul returned, Marko shaking his head at them that he hadn't seen anyone from his guard post while they had been gone. The two in return shook their heads as well. James had gotten away. "can you take me home?" she asked him. "i don't want to be here anymore."

"Yeah. Come on." Doing as she was told, Faer got on behind David and wrapped her arms tightly about his waist. It felt nice, to know that he wasn't too mad at her for her sudden appearance. That he was still concerned even after their last meeting. It was nice.

Feeling her exhaustion begin to take over as he sped off towards the house, Faer tried so hard to stay awake. "mmm." Pulling on David's coat, she sighed in relief as he pulled over about half way to the house.

"What's wrong?" he asked, putting down the kickstand while she rubbed her head against his back. "Faer?"

"…can't…stay..wake.."

"Hmm?" Looking over his shoulder, he saw that Faer was practically out and grasping her arm, he helped her off of the bike until she stood in front of him. "Here." he said, scooting back on his bike so there was room in front of him for her. It wasn't hard for him to understand what was going on. Fear did a lot to the human body and sometimes it drained them of just about all of their energy.

Settling her in front of him, David watched as her eyes rolled back into her head and she went limp before he adjusted her a little more so she was secure on his bike and wouldn't fall off. With a rev of his engine, he took off again, though his speed was a bit slower this time.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

When David pulled up to the house, he carefully got off of his bike and picked Faer up into his arms. The exhaustion in her was clear to see. It went far beyond the scare from James tonight. Had she not been sleeping well since they last saw each other? Shaking his head of such thoughts, he carried her inside and up to her room, laying her down upon the bed and removing her shoes and coat. In a way, he felt flattered that she had chosen him during her panic after all of the arguing they had done the past week. He knew he had reminded her of her ex more than once and the fact that she chose him to shield her from said ex that had apparently come to collect her, felt quite gratifying.

Ridding his head of the thoughts that had begun to fill his mind once more, he quickly changed her into one of her nightshirts and placed her in bed, pulling the covers over her to keep the cold of the night at bay before he walked back out to the hallway. As he came down the stairs, he was met with Max who was staring at him with a calculating gaze.

"What, old man?" he asked in his usual bored tone.

"What are you doing David?"

"Nothing. Brought Faer home, she was tired."

"Don't lie to me David. I thought you didn't want to get close to Faer."

"I'll do what I please."

"So I've noticed." growled Max before he leveled David with a stern glare. "I'm not going to force you to accept her as your mate. However, if you hurt her David, I'll make you regret it. Got it?"

"Loud and clear." With a quick salute and his cocky grin in place David strode passed Max and back to his bike. He needed to find this James person before something happened. No one was allowed to touch his girl. No one.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

A Week Later

"Anything?" asked Max as Lucy came out of Faer's room. With a few tears in her eyes from how frustrated and worried she had become, Lucy shook her head as she took the tray she had brought up to Faer's room earlier in the day downstairs while Max followed behind.

It had been a week since Max had caught David bring Faer home and since then the young woman he had gotten to know was barely there. It was almost as though Faer was a shell of herself. She had barely spoken, hardly eaten or had anything to drink too for that matter, but what was worrying him and Lucy the most was the fact that she absolutely was refusing to leave her bedroom. Apart from using the bathroom, very sparsely he might add, she hadn't left her room at all.

"Max…I don't know what to do? It's like she's almost terrified to leave her room. She even kept the stake knife from her plate a few days ago. I don't know what's going on and I can't get her to tell me. You don't…you don't think David did something to her that night…do you?"

"No." said Max as he stepped up to his wife and laid his hands upon her shoulders. "David wouldn't…he knows there won't be any more chances. He wouldn't. He talks big but he's all bark and no bite my dear." Nodding her head, Lucy accepted Max's words before she turned her attention towards the tray and started to clean up the remains of "breakfast" that she had made for everyone at the house. The boys hadn't appeared for an entire week and it was because of that that Max feared Lucy's words might have held a bit more truth than he thought.

It was only by chance that he had been in the house when David had shown up with Faer. He had forgotten some papers in his office and he had needed them for a meeting he was supposed to have in a couple hours' time with one of his contacts then. When the sound of the door opening had filled his ears, he had wondered who it could be. For once everyone was out of the house. Sam had gone to see his friends, the Frog Brothers and Michael and Star had taken Laddie out to see a movie while Lucy had taken Faer to the Boardwalk so the young lady could shop for a bit while Lucy did a few things at the store. To say that he was surprised when David disappeared into Faer's room with an unconscious Faer, was an understatement. She should have been at the Boardwalk still.

But she wasn't and David had brought her back and he wanted to know why. The scent that had clung to the unconscious woman had told him that at some point or another she had panicked. Enough so, that she had become covered in a cold sweat that reeked of fear and desperation. What had David done? What had occurred that he hadn't been informed about yet? David had been candid in his responses as usual and when the brat king of his children had left after a good threat from him, Max had felt nothing but worry and curiosity fill him.

Now, in light of the "hell" the past week had been, Max needed answers, well he needed help more importantly, and the only person that he knew who had both the answers and the help he needed, he was very reluctant to call. But Faer's health, both physical and mental, were too important for him to ignore and hope they got better on their own, so with a reluctant sigh, he reached out to his oldest childe.

'David. David answer me.'

'I'm busy Max.' came David's voice, annoyed as usual whenever his sire called upon him.

'Then finish what it is you're doing and head to the house. I need your help.' replied Max, just as annoyed by David's impertinence.

'What? Having trouble with your pack?' he asked condescendingly.

'It's Faer. She's not well and I need your help. Lucy and I have tried everything and we can't get her to react. You're my last resort, so hurry up.' David had nothing to say to that, but Max could feel the tension through their connection that his words brought. His oldest didn't want to admit it, but he was worried with what Max had told him.

'We'll be there soon.'

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Walking into the house with none of their usual flare, David and the boys stopped in front of Max who was sitting in his own chair in the living room.

"David." said Max in greeting as he eyed David's expression. He could see the underlying worry in the back of his oldest's eyes, but other than that, David was as cool as ice. Just like he always was.

"Where's Faer?" asked David, wanting to get to the reason why they were there immediately.

"In her room. She hasn't left it since you brought her home."

"What?!" Looking at his sire in shock, David quickly ascended the steps and walked to her door only to stop when it opened and Lucy came out.

"Oh. David. Can I do something for you?" she asked with a small smile on her face, unaware that Max had called for him.

"I'd like to see Faer." he said, his voice just as stoic as usual while he took in the weariness that covered his "mother's" face.

"Well…" said Lucy as she contemplated the idea before she sighed coming to a conclusion. "As much as it surprises me David, I know you're able to get through to her more than me. Maybe you'll have better luck in getting her to talk to you. She won't respond to me." Voice soft and filled with fatigue, Lucy gave David one more smile before he walked passed her and entered the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The lights were off and perched on her window ledge was Faer, her knees drawn up to her chest as she stared up at the moon. To be honest, in this moment if he didn't know better, David would have mistaken Faer for a vampire right then, even though he could hear her heart beat inside her chest. Her pale skin glowed in the moonlight and she had a peace about her that came to his kind only once they had accepted their new place in the shadows. Standing by the door, he watched her silently, not interrupting the calm she had obviously created for herself. He was after all, a very patient man.

"I got a letter today." Frowning at the tone of her voice, David didn't respond. "I got two actually. The other came a week ago." Her voice was hollow as she spoke. Devoid of her emotions and any care she might have once had. She had been doing so well when it came to opening up and now, she was back to being numb. "The house sold."

"Congratulations."

"A family with a little girl. They're going to redecorate and add a swing set in the back."

"Are you upset?"

"…I don't know." Leaning her head against the window she sighed at the cool glass against her heated skin. "I should be happy right? A hundred and twenty thousand dollars in my pocket right? Plus my inheritance of another four hundred thousand. I'm rich. I should be happy…right?" At this, her voice broke a little before she turned to look at him, utter confusion written on her face.

"No." he said moving to sit on the bed close to her. "You're not one for money. You're one for your hobbies." They fell into silence once more and leaning back a little, David moved his hands behind him so he had something to prop himself up with before he froze.

"Watch out."

"Why?"

"…th…there's a knife near your hand." she said hesitantly and looking at her pillow that his hand was near, David reached beneath it and grasped the handle he felt. Pulling it out, he looked at the large steak knife that came into his vision before he whipped his head around and stared at the woman who refused to meet his gaze.

"Why do you have this?" he growled, thinking that someone in the house had tried to attack her. It would explain why Max had told him she hadn't left her room in a week. But Faer didn't respond, she just continued to stare out the window. After a few minutes though, it was broken and the tone of the new conversation was much more concerning than the house selling.

"I could move." she began, her words sounding as though she was finally voicing a conversation she had been having with herself. "I think…I think when we went to pack up the house…he followed us home. If I move again suddenly then…he won't be able to follow." David knew immediately what she was talking about and it only made him mad because the boys and him had been searching, but no one stood out enough for them to take out then the usual crowd of people. Since the new year was still so new, the Boardwalk and city were filled with more tourists than usual, which only made it harder to pick out strange faces in the crowd, especially ones that were searching for a woman who hadn't been seen on the Boardwalk in a week.

"You're not leaving." growled David. "I'll hunt you down."

"He knows where I live."

"He has the phone number, nothing more." But Faer shook her head, pointing to the bottom of the bed where two letters sat. One was information about the house selling, but the other… Picking up the bright red card that sat there, David opened the letter and hissed, his animalistic side appearing in his anger.

 _Do you really think your biker boyfriend can protect you? Don't forget you're my fiancé! So fly home Butterfly. Before I snip your wings._

The letter was promptly torn to pieces before David stood, pacing back and forth. That man had dared to…to send a threat to his girl?! No one threatened what was his! No one!

"Who is he?" he ground out turning to stare at her.

"No one."

"Tell me now!"

"I need to go." Storming up to her, David grasped her arm and pulled her off the ledge until he was able to crawl over her on the bed and hold her hostage. It was quite easy, Faer didn't put up a fight and from the look of her, now that he was able to get a real good look at her too, it didn't seem like she had any strength to put up a fight either.

"You. Are not. Going. Anywhere!" he hissed out.

"he's been to the house." she whispered, a tear falling from her eye.

"How do you know?"

"he smiled at me from the gate." Now David was livid. James wasn't only threatening his girl, he was now threatening the other half of his family. Even if he didn't like most of them, he had to protect them, no matter what.

"When was he here last?"

"this morning. he's come every day for the past week. thorne and nanook won't let him get near the house but he just stands at the fence and watches my window." By this point, Faer was quietly crying, she was so distraught and staring at her for a moment, David thought over his options before he released her and stood.

"I'll be back in a minute." he said as he turned to leave the room.

"k."

Walking down the stairs, David stared at the group of people who were waiting for what he had to say. Everyone was there, even Michael and Star which was pretty surprising since they normally ran off the first chance they got.

"David?" called Max, getting his attention.

"We need to talk."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"what's going on?" asked Faer quietly from her windowsill once David had returned as she watched Lucy pack her car with the help of Sam and Michael.

"They're going to stay at Grandpa Emerson's house." he said.

"why?"

"Because for the moment it's not safe. Not if your ex is coming around."

"…" Faer didn't respond to David's light scolding. She knew he was mad at her and she knew Max and the others were probably mad at her as well for not saying anything. But she had been hoping, praying actually, that James would just give up and leave her be. Now, after a week, it was looking like he was going to wear her out till she gave in, and truth be told, she was close. She was close to giving in because she knew he held no qualms about hurting those close to her in order to get what he wanted. None what so ever. So the fact that David had appeared, the one she felt she could actually talk to and not be judged too badly by, was a miracle because she had been so close to going with him, just so he would leave her family alone. So close.

"Come here." Turning her head away from the window as the taillights of Lucy's car and Michael's motorcycle disappeared behind the trees surrounding the house, Faer watched as David, now devoid of everything save his shirt and jeans, made himself comfortable on the bed. "Come here." he said again and listening to the order, she slowly moved so she was beside him.

Grasping her arm, he pulled her a bit closer before he moved her until she was sitting in his lap. The normal scowl he usually wore, turning into a frown as he realized that she had gotten lighter since he had seen her last.

"When did you eat last?" he asked, though he made sure his voice told her that she would answer him. Faer looked away and bit her lip, her fingers moving to play with the night shirt she wore before he grasped her chin and made her look at him. "Answer me."

"…f..five days…ago.."

"What do you mean five days ago?" he growled, his grip on her becoming tighter as he felt his ire grow.

"I…I haven't…been hungry."

"Uh huh. Well guess what. You're going to eat." Looking at the tray that sat upon the bedside table, David shook his head. Even though Lucy was a good cook, the meal she had prepared for Faer was, to put it simply, unappetizing. If Faer hadn't eaten in five days then the last thing she needed was waffles and bacon. "Marko!" he called.

"Yeah?" asked the cherubic vampire as he opened the door and looked at his brother and Faer. "Hey Faer." he said in greeting.

"hi…marko." she replied before she buried her head into David's neck. She knew she looked like shit and she didn't want a lot of people looking at her.

"Go to the Boardwalk and fetch some soup and a sandwich for Faer. Nothing too heavy though, so no stew or chowder. Got it?" ordered David while Marko nodded his head in understanding.

"Yup. One get well meal coming up." It may have been a while since he was human, but Marko remembered what one ate when they weren't feeling too well or hadn't eaten in a while. In fact, he had lived off of that diet for several years when he was human. It was actually one of the last meals he remembered eating before his transformation. So he understood why David wanted him to fetch it and he hurried to do so.

"Dwayne, Paul. Go hide your bikes in the garage." ordered Max. "I don't want this James to see that you're here."

"Can do daddio." replied Paul with a laugh while Dwayne just nodded his head and followed behind the energetic blonde. Max just sighed and shook his head before he walked up the stairs and stopped in the doorway to Faer's room that Marko had left open.

"How is she?" he asked David as he watched his oldest hold the scared woman close to him. It was obvious to see that Faer was exhausted and it was even more obvious to see that the peace he and Lucy had been trying to give to her throughout the week and had failed, was being given by David as well. His oldest could truly be oblivious sometimes to what his soul wanted versus what his mind told him. David was head over heels for Faer, he was just refusing to accept it still.

"Scared and exhausted." replied David as he moved some hair from her face.

"Well, I'm hoping you'll be able to take care of that since she seems to trust you so much." David just grunted while he kept his eyes on the woman who was staring out the window. "Will you take her downstairs or do you want me to seal the window for you?" he asked next. "There's plenty of time to set up the bed that was in here, down there so you have some place to sleep."

Thinking for a minute, David slowly nodded his head. "Yeah. Let's set up the one downstairs. I don't want to close the window curtains. It might make James volatile and we want him to continue to think he has the upper hand still by controlling Faer's mental state with fear."

"Yes, I agree that would be best as well. Plus, if he somehow manages to get into the house, then you boys will have the upper hand should he travel to the basement."

"Yeah."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Finish it Faer." ordered David as he sat at the kitchen table with Faer beside him. He hadn't been lying when he had said that she was going to eat and as soon as Marko had returned with her light meal, he had carried her downstairs, since she was incredibly shaky on her legs for the moment, and placed her at the table.

"i can't." she whispered, turning her head away from the half filled bowl.

"You can and you will." But Faer just shook her head as the others came up the stairs from the basement.

"We got the bed all set up. Pushed Laddie's old bed into the closet and just made the guest bed in Marko's room." said Paul as he pulled out the chair beside David and sat down.

"Good. I take it you all placed the bed away from the bar in there, correct?" David held no notions that he and Faer were going to have any privacy that night. It was simply too dangerous for them to be separated and he and his boys had always survived by sticking together, even when Max had decided to knock them senseless once for their carelessness they had stuck together against him. It was a good technique and one they would continue to use. Dwayne just nodded his head that they had.

"What's wrong Faer?" asked Marko as he sat down on the other side of the woman. The look on Faer's face was one of worry and dejection and the curly haired vampire didn't like the look on her at all. She was quiet but spunky, caring but outspoken. She didn't need to look like it was the end of the world creeping up on her.

"nothing." she replied. Marko just frowned. He hadn't been expecting that answer considering he was the one she came too when she didn't feel like she could turn to David. He was the back up and he felt kind of honored because he normally scared the shit out of those who got to know him outside of his brothers and Max.

"Oh, come on little sis. You can talk to me." he tried again, but she just shook her head.

"there's nothing to talk about." Sighing, Marko reluctantly turned towards the others and left her alone.

"I'm not going to say it again Faer. Finish it." said David with a stern voice. But Faer just shook her head once more.

"i can't."

"You can and you…"

"Leave her alone David." ordered Max. "She has eaten enough and I will say, she did a spectacular job at it too. Especially for a woman who hasn't had anything to eat in five days. Leave her be."

"tch." Scowling at his sire, David leaned back in his chair and left Faer to her own devices. Of course, that turned out to be her excusing herself before she went upstairs to use the bathroom.

"Good. Now that she's out of the room for the moment, I want to speak with you boys."

"Why not just use our link?" grumbled David.

"Because I know that half the time you boys just ignore me. At least this way I know you all heard me. Understand?"

"Yeah, yeah." moaned all of the boys with groans while the sound of the shower starting upstairs filled their ears.

"Oh, even better. Now we have more time than I thought."

"..ugh.." Letting his head fall forward, Paul hit the table with a loud smack. "Why don't you just kill us already? It would be less painful." he griped.

"Quit the dramatics. Or else I'll pull you over my knee and spank you like the child you're acting as." With a sigh, Paul begrudgingly sat up while the others did their best to look at least somewhat interested in what Max was going to say. "Well, I guess I can't hope for more, can I? Now, let's get to business. If what Faer has told David is true, then this James will come around sometime today."

"Yes well there isn't much we can do about him unless he comes in the house or stays past sunset." said David.

"I know that David. But I've increased my link with Thorne. I'll know the moment he starts to growl that James is here. I'm hoping that if I increase the tension and foreboding in the air, James might get the hint and leave for good." Nodding their heads that it was a good plan since most people steered clear of the property because of that exact spell, the boys believed that if it was increased then there was a very good chance that James would fear for his life and leave. "Are there any thoughts or discrepancies with my plan?"

"What if this plan of yours doesn't work?" questioned David, while the others looked back to Max for the answer.

"To be honest my boys. I really don't know. Nanook went with Lucy and I don't want Thorne to go beyond the gate in case there are others with James. And we all know that unless he gets passed Thorne and into the house, then there really isn't much we can do until sunset. So I guess we'll have to play it by ear and hope it all goes well. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Lay down."

"No." Sighing as he stared at the slightly shaking and greatly fatigued woman he had placed on the bed, David was thankful that he had asked the others to wait in the hall for a few minutes.

"Faer lay down." he ordered again and once more, she shook her head. "Faer…" he began before he was cut off.

"he'll come. he'll come and he might get passed Thorne. someone has to watch. someone has to be awake in case…in case he…"

"Look at me." said David firmly as he grasped her chin and turned her face towards him. "You are going to sleep. And while you're sleeping Max will be on the watch for James. Understand?"

"But…!"

"No. James is no longer your concern for the moment. Especially not today. You're going to sleep and that is final. Now do you understand?" Silently a minute passed before Faer nodded her head slowly.

"yes david."

"Good. Now lay down." Sighing, Faer did as told and lay upon the bed before she turned onto her side facing the wall while the door opened and the others came in.

"Hey Faer." said Marko as he sat down upon the bed and started to remove his boots while the others did the same. "Are you feeling any better?" Faer didn't answer and frowning as he watched the quiet woman, Marko felt a bit of anger begin to swell up within him. He hadn't done anything for her to treat him like a pariah. He hadn't done anything for her to ignore him like he didn't exist. He had been patient with her, he had been brotherly to her in a way he wasn't with anyone else. So the way she was treating him now…it hurt. It really hurt.

'Don't think too far into it Marko.' came David's voice in his head. 'She's not herself. You of all people should remember how that feels. Perhaps if she sleeps well, she'll be more like herself tomorrow.'

'Yeah.' Finishing removing his boots, Marko stood and stretched before he jumped towards the ceiling and flipped, allowing his feet to grasp the bar so he could hang securely. "Ah! Nothing like a little hang time." he said wistfully while Paul and Dwayne joined him, David was going to sleep in the bed with Faer.

"Come here." they heard their brother call to Faer and watching quietly, they saw her turn without hesitance to press up against him and lay her head upon his shoulder while he wrapped his arm about her back and pulled the covers over them.

It was kind of strange to see such a gentle gesture from their normally stoic leader, but it was nice to see that he was making an effort with Faer, even if it was subconscious. Now they just had to wait for David to fully admit it and seek to take her as his mate.

"What are you staring at Faer?" asked Marko with a little smile as he noticed that her eyes were glued to something above them.

"..f…your feet." she replied quietly while David and the boys raised an eyebrow each in amusement.

"What about them?" questioned Marko with ignorance while he looked up at the taloned weapons his feet had become. "They look like they always do."

Maybe it was the way he was feigning his ignorance to her remark, or maybe it was the way he tilted his head and looked at his feet, but either way, Marko felt a bit of pride fill him when Faer burst out laughing quietly while she tried to hide her face in David's shoulder. To say that they all felt relief at her changed behavior was an understatement. At least she seemed somewhat more relaxed and her shaking was now gone apart from the ones caused by her laughing.

"What's so funny?" he asked next, a small pout on his lips.

"n…nothing." she said before she settled down and began to relax, a soft smile on her face now.

"Uh huh." he replied, disbelieving. "Don't make me come over there."

"you guys need pedicures. Badly!" she finally said before she burst out laughing once more. The thought of them in a nail salon getting their feet worked on was too much of a comical thought and following her, they all burst out laughing as well before they quieted down and the boys could see that Faer's exhaustion was beginning to take her.

"Night Faer." called Marko and Paul.

"night."


	18. Old Man Emerson?

"David! David please! WAKE UP!" Hearing a very distraught voice call his name, David felt his consciousness come back to him before he smelt the heavy scent of fear and tears and felt hands shake his shoulder hurriedly. "DAVID!" The voice broke and then there was a weight upon his chest before sobs filled the air and feeling the strength to snap his eyes open, now that his brain was fighting the sun's call to sleep, he looked down to see Faer lying upon his chest. "david! please! he's here. j…james, is here!"

Sitting up, he quickly took her into his arms and held her close. How long had she been trying to wake him, he pondered as he quickly sent out a screech to his brothers mentally, which instantly roused them and in Paul's case, caused him to land on the ground with a hard thunk and a groan. However, before they could grouse about the rude awakening, they heard the sobs and their heads all turned to the sight on the bed.

"What's wrong?" asked Marko.

"James." growled David and feeling their animalistic sides come out, the boys all tried to quell their instincts to rush upstairs and outside and tear James limb from limb before they burst into flames. "Marko." called David.

"Yeah?"

"I want you to stay here with Faer. The others and I will go upstairs and get a better look. She trusts you next so you'll be able to handle her better than the others."

"Yeah." Moving closer to the bed, Marko took Faer from David's arms before he watched the others go. "It'll be ok." he said as he tried to calm her.

"No…it won't! He'll come back…he always comes back!"

"Faer, he'll never lay a hand on you. We won't allow it."

"But he will! He always gets his way!" It was easy to see that Faer was becoming more and more hysterical and with her past week and current physical and mental state, he needed to act quickly before she made herself sick. Trying to soothe her for a couple more minutes, he sighed when nothing worked.

'David.' he called.

'What Marko?'

'I can't do anything. She's becoming too hysterical. I want to use our last resort. Just in case James does get in and things go badly.'

'…'

'David?'

'Do it.' Nodding his head to his brother's go ahead, Marko looked down at the crying woman in his lap.

"Faer." he called softly. "Faer look at me." Slowly, Faer lifted her head and giving her a smile, he wiped the tears from her cheek. She really was a sister to him and he would protect her for as long as he could. "It's going to be ok little sis. Go to sleep. We won't let him touch you." Quickly, Faer's eyes became glassy before she went limp in his arms.

Standing with her, Marko quickly left the room and made his way down the hallway to Laddie's playroom before he opened the closet. Setting Faer down on the floor, he pushed against the back wall in strategic places before he stepped back and watched as the wall moved aside to reveal a small bunker.

When Max had bought the place, before he had had the construction workers come in to make the basement into the multi bedroom layout that it was, he had first brought in a worker who specialized in hidden/panic rooms. Max knew that with their growing family, the chance of them being found out increased and so he had had this room put in in order to protect them as much as he could. It was big enough for maybe seven people comfortably, considering there were four cots in there, a small fridge filled with emergency rations of blood and food, a couple tanks of oxygen in case the air thinned too much with Sam in it and a small toilet, but if it came to it, they could most likely squeeze all eleven of them in there as well.

See, the room had been designed as a last resort in case they were attacked. Max only meant the room to be used by Lucy, Star, Laddie and Sam and now that Faer was there, she would be added to it as well. Thus the four bunks and amenities for the not full vampires and Star, considering if they were unable to defeat their attackers and come unlock the door, then the door to the room would remain sealed for two days ensuring that whoever it was was long gone before releasing them. On top of that, the room was fireproof, in case the house was set on fire, and soundproof, so they couldn't be heard from the house incase people tried to listen for them as well.

Of course, only Max and the boys knew about the room. If they had to use it, then they were going to knock the others out so there would be no fight against going in the room or tearful goodbyes and on top of that, it meant that they wouldn't have to worry about protecting them or wondering if they would be in harm's way. According to David, it was probably the only thing Max had done with the thought of his entire family's welfare at hand. Although, leaving the males to fight off the enemy left something to be desired, since it should never happen in the first place. But precautions were always good and Marko was doing just that with Faer since the others were gone.

Picking her up once more, he gently placed her on one of the cots and laid the folded blanket over her, making sure she was comfortable before he stepped back and watched her for a second.

'When you're done, come upstairs.' said David.

'I'm on my way.' Taking one last look at Faer, Marko headed out the door and sealed it once more, rushing up the stairs afterwards to stand beside his brothers and Max who stood in the living room staring at the curtain covered windows.

It was obvious that James was still out there. Thorne was barking and growling up a storm and from the sound of wood splitting, it was likely that the hell hound was trying to break through the fence with not only his anger at the repeating offender but also Max and the boys' anger backing him up.

"Max take care of him!" growled David.

"He's not responding to the magic David. Whoever this James is, his intentions towards Faer are dark enough that he's not being affected by the dark aura surrounding the house." replied Max, just as frustrated as the others by the continuous barking that signified James' continued presence before their house.

However, before they were able to contemplate on another course of action, a loud bang echoed just outside of the house and Thorne's barking went silent. For a moment, they had all believed that Thorne had been shot, but Max would have been beyond pissed if that were true, that his beloved hell hound was injured or dead.

"The hell do you think you're doing on my property!" Pausing in their thoughts, everyone stared at the door in complete astonishment. That…that was Grandpa Emerson's voice. What was he doing…BANG! "I asked you a question boy! Answer me or the next shot will be aimed at you!"

Oh man, Grandpa Emerson was pissed and both inwardly and outwardly, the boys and Max were shocked. The old man had never shown an interest in them before, in fact he made his dislike of them very clear. He didn't like what they had turn his daughter and grandsons into but he didn't do anything simply because Lucy was happy with Max and the man treated her like a queen.

Growling was heard from outside once more before Grandpa Emerson told Throne to be quiet. 'Thorne, listen to Grandpa Emerson and allow him passed the gate. Just make sure James does not enter the front yard.' ordered Max through their mental link. It allowed him to know what Throne was thinking and relay commands without having to verbally say them, but it annoyed Max that he couldn't actually see through Thornes eyes. Things would be so much easier if he actually knew what James looked like.

"Well mister!? You going to answer me or am I going to have to blow a hole through ya."

"You'll have to forgive me. I didn't mean to trespass, but I was under the impression that this was an old friend of mine's house. She gave me this very address herself."

"No, it belongs to me and I rent it out to people. My last tenant just left the other night so I'm here to check the place and make sure it's ready for my next tenants to move in."

"Hmm. Perhaps her name might ring a bell. Faerdhinen Winters."

"I had a Faerdhinen here, but she moved out last night, like I said the first time. Found a job in the next city over and wanted to be closer to it."

"I see. I don't suppose you have a phone number or new address I can get ahold of her with, do you?"

"No, I don't. I don't pry into my old tenants' lives. When they move on, so do I. Que sera and all that crap. Now kindly take your ass and get off my property. I have work to do. Come on Nanook, Thorne get back to the porch!" The sound of growling filled the air once more before paws echoed off of the porch. Soon after that a car leaving echoed as well and then heavier footsteps on the porch. "I know you're there Max. Unlock the door."

"uh…yes, certainly Mr. Emerson. One minute." called Max as he hurried to the door.

"Suck up much?" questioned David with a small smirk as he watched Max.

"Hush David. He's my father in law and therefore deserves my respect. Besides, he ran James off and that should be more than enough to warrant all of your boys' respect as well." David rolled his eyes at that comment, hating the fact that Max was actually right. The old man had protected them from an enemy they couldn't touch at the moment and therefore the animosity he felt towards the old man needed to cease…for now. "Please, come in Mr. Emerson." said Max as he opened the door once the boys had moved out of the reach of the sun.

"Thank you Max…Boys. Where's Faer?"

"Asleep and safe." replied David curtly as the old man leveled him with a look that showed he didn't trust Faer in their hands, thought he really didn't have a choice.

"Uh huh." he replied before he turned to Max. "Lucy told me you had double thick oreos and root beer. I want some. If I'm going to guard your damn house then I want my favorites!" To say that Max was confused was an understatement.

The second the old man had turned his sights onto him, Max had literally jumped at the request. He loved his wife. He truly did, and if anything happened to her father, or her father was displeased with the way he had been treated by him, then he was going to suffer and suffer, he did not want to do. A happy Lucy, made for a happy Max and by extension, a happy Mr. Emerson, made for a happy Max as well. So he rushed into the kitchen and got into the pantry and pulled out the items requested before he brought them back to his father in law.

"Here we are. Is there anything else you're needing Mr. Emerson?" asked Max.

"No, no. I have my favorites and my post. You all just go back to bed. I'm sure the dogs and I can hold down the fort if that damn man decides to come back."

"uh..." Looking from his father in law to his boys, Max was so surprised he wasn't sure what to do. So, he asked the only question that was popping into his head at the moment. "uh…Mr. Emerson. That sounds fine, but I hope you don't mind if I ask, just why it is that you're here to begin with?"

"Lucy was worried." replied Mr. Emerson. "She was afraid you wouldn't be able to touch James and be in danger and well…to put it simply. I don't like you. I don't like what you've done to my family, but I love my daughter and you treat her the way she deserves to be treated and more. So I can put my feelings aside for now in order to ease her worries and take care of the family that she's built. Even if it means being stuck in the same house with you for a bit. So do what you need to do and go back to bed. I'll watch over the house till nightfall. Understand?"

Staring shocked at the old man, Max and his boys were surprised that Lucy had told her father everything that was happening and that he had decided to come "protect" them when they were essentially powerless. The old man had never shown any dedication to them before. Even when Lucy and Max had gotten married he refused to be part of it. He hated Max that much. But now…now…something wasn't right.

"Mr. Emerson," began Max with a calmer and more calculating voice. "Something's wrong. Isn't there?" he said and looking between the window and Max, Old Man Emerson raised an eyebrow at him before he sighed.

"I'm sick." he said. "I'm sick and I don't have much time left. And even though I hate you, I know you'll do everything to make sure Lucy and my family remain safe. So in order to protect Lucy, I have to protect you and that's what I'm going to do. You understanding what I'm saying?"

Yet again, Max and the boys were speechless.

"W…when did you…does Lucy…"

"Lucy doesn't know a thing, and you're not going to tell her either. I want my last days to be spent the way I want. Not stuck in some hospital, wasting money on something that can't be cured. Besides, the doctors said it was in the final stages. There's nothing they could do anyways. So like I said, I'm spending my time left the way I want and one of the things I want is to make sure my daughter and grandchildren are all cared for. Understand?" Feeling sobriety come over them at the seriousness of the conversation, Max and the boys nodded their heads. It was a dying man's last wish and for once, it was one they were going to carry out.

"Yes Mr. Emerson. I understand." replied Max.

"Good. You promised my Lucy eternity, you better make sure she sees it. Even if it means you have to sacrifice yourself, got it!" Nodding his head, Max held out his hand.

"I promise. I'll do whatever it takes to keep her and your grandchildren safe. I owe you that much."

"Now don't start going on about how you owe me. You owe me nothing. Just take care of them when I'm gone. Got it?"

"Yes Mr. Emerson."

"Good. Now go to bed. The dogs and I can hold down the fort."

"Of course. I have nothing but the utmost confidence in your abilities to keep us safe. Thank you Mr. Emerson and feel free to help yourself to anything. My home is your home." Turning to walk towards the stairwell so he could head upstairs while the boys began to walk into the kitchen so they could go downstairs into the basement once more, they all paused when Grandpa Emerson called out to them.

"It may be my condition making me a little loopy, but in this moment, you guys aren't too bad. For a bunch of vampires that is. Now get to bed!" Chuckling, everyone headed to their respective areas before David and the boys approached Laddie's play closet.

Opening the secret entrance to the bunker, they all gazed at the sleeping figure upon the closest cot. "She can't stay here anymore." said David to his brothers while they nodded their heads.

"We'll have to take her to the cave." added Marko.

"Or, we could finish this tonight. Feel like a stakeout on the Boardwalk boys?" Chuckles answered David's question and nodding his head that that's what they would do so they could end this whole thing quickly and cleanly, David leaned down and picked Faer up before he turned and walked back to the bedroom they were using while Dwayne sealed the entrance and Marko opened the door for them.

"Are we going to tell the little chika what's going on?" asked Paul as he jumped for the bar and got ready to go back to sleep.

"No. James seems like a smart person. He'll be able to read her and know she feels safe if she knows we're watching her. It'll be easier to let her fret a little and clean up the mess afterwards." Laying Faer down in bed, David made himself comfortable beside her while Dwayne, Marko and Paul just sighed before Paul opened his mouth with one last retort before the sun pulled them into slumber.

"Whatever man. As long as you clean it up. She's your mate after all."

"Shut up Paul."


	19. Don't Let Her Out Of Your Sight

Don't Let Her Out Of Your Sight

Summary: David's had enough. He's ready to take out James, not just for Faer, but for his entire family. However, the only place they know where James appears at night is the Boardwalk. Even more, they know he only appears when Faer is alone. How will the night upon the Boardwalk go? Will David's plan go smoothly, or will things only begin to get set in motion?

The Boardwalk was crowded as usual when the boys pulled up to their usual spot with Faer sat behind David. The people who stood in their way easily parted like waves for them and within a minute they were parked and moving to get off. After talking to Max, they had agreed that it was for the best if Faer went to stay with the boys for a while. At least they were full-fledged vampires, whereas Max was the only one in the house who had control while Michael and Star were still quite easy to snap. Of course, if they just relaxed about their new lifestyle a little more, than their control would come a lot easier, but they were still somewhat upset at what had happened, even though it had been a few years. So it was decided that it would be easier if Faer just went with them.

"W…why are we here?" asked Faer as she refused to release her hold from around David. They had told her they were going to the cave but now…

"Get off Faer." said David commandingly.

"You said we were going to the cave."

"Get. Off." Feeling Dwayne's hand on hers to help her off, she reluctantly did so, not moving very far from the bike as David dismounted as well. "Start walking." he said looking at her.

"What?!" she asked. "W…why?!"

"Cause I said. Now go. Get out of here. Boys, let's go grab some dinner." Hooting and hollering, they walked away leaving Faer staring at their backs in horror. 'Stick to the shadows. Do not let her out of your sight.'

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

'They left me. They left me!' she thought panicked as she looked around scared. 'I thought…' On and on her mind went until eventually she began to walk, joining the crowd. It was only a few days into the new year, and the new life, the new beginning she had been hoping for was already gone. She had tried to run from James and he had found her. She had thought she had found protection in David and the others but…they had dragged her to the hunting ground and left her and James was sure to be there. Waiting, watching, just bidding his time. What was she going to do?

It was cold out, the breeze sending shivers up her spine even though the crowd around her should have kept it at bay. But then again, her shivering wasn't just from the weather and the wind blowing off of the waters close by. It was from her fear, her abandonment and the knowledge that her controlling ex was coming for her and there was no one there to protect her anymore.

She should have paid more attention to where she was walking. But she didn't want to stop. The more she walked, the colder she became and eventually the pain of freezing faded, leaving her so pleasantly numb. If she couldn't feel, then she couldn't care and she didn't want to. She didn't want to care anymore and she allowed herself to recede into her mind.

"Well what do we have here?" Feeling herself be pulled into an alley, she looked up at a group of men. They were tall, muscular, dressed from head to toe in denim jackets and leather gloves with weird haridos everywhere. Immediately, the name Surfer Nazi's entered her mind and she knew she was in trouble. But of course, she didn't care. Why should she? Perhaps, the Surfer Nazi's would be at least a little better than the others.

"Hey Boss." said one of the boys. "I think this is the chick that guy was searching for."

"Hmm?" Pausing in his schemes of what all he wanted to do, the "Boss" gave her a once over. "Yeah. I think you're right. Damnit. And I was looking forward to having some "fun" with her. But hey! We get a nice pay day boys!" Chuckling as they began to circle her, the Boss stepped forward from the bunch and grasped her chin. "You're worth a lot of money. Did you know that? Five thousand dollars' worth."

Faer didn't react, she stared blankly at him and growling when he realized that his taunts and boys were having no effect upon her, he grasped her hair harshly and pulled her towards him. She went limp, her knees buckling as she fell to the ground, the only thing keeping her up being the Boss who still held her by her hair.

"What's wrong with you chickadee? You think you're too good for us? Huh?!" Quickly, the others began to taunt and jeer at her, but still, she didn't react. No matter what they said, she never reacted.

"Hey boss! The guy said that if we wanted, he didn't mind us knocking her around. Just nothing too invasive." A grin came to the leader's lips as the others fell silent.

"Nothing too invasive huh? Did you hear that Butterfly?" he said, spitting her special name. "You've been a naughty girl and the best part about it? We're getting paid to do it." Seeing a flicker of fear spark in her eyes, the Surfer Nazi backhanded her harshly. "This is going to be fun." Raising his hand to strike her again, all of the laughs and cheers were suddenly silenced when the boss was ripped away.

"Beating on a girl? Really. One would think you boys would grow up for once." said a mocking voice in a chillingly cold tone.

"Let go of me you damn freak!" hissed the Boss.

"Not until you tell me everything I want to know."

"I ain't telling you shit! Get em!" Suddenly, the alley where everything had taken place was filled with chaos. Fists and jabs being thrown everywhere as the two gangs went at each other. Both groups were so furious with the other that none of them noticed the female who walked out of the alley and away from it all.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Paul, get rid of the bodies. Where's Faer?" Looking about, the four noticed that said female had vanished. Immediately, David's anger returned with a vengeance. She had run during the fight, from them! Then again, he had told her to go walk the Boardwalk alone so they could lure out James.

While the plan had worked for the most part and they now had valuable information, Faer was probably hurt emotionally by the cruel plan she wasn't made aware of. Of course, David had figured that that would happen, but he didn't think she'd be hurt enough to actually run from them.

"Marko, Dwayne, spread out and find her. Paul, join in once you're done if we haven't found her by then. Meet up at the bikes in an hour." Nodding their heads, they set to their tasks, hoping that James hadn't grabbed her in their absence.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The hour had passed and no sign of her had been seen. Arriving at the bikes, they all froze. Her bag was gone. Immediately, David knew what had happened and getting on his bike with the others, they rode out. 'She's trying to leave.' he thought as he revved his engine and drove faster. 'The only question is how exactly is she going to do it.'

It didn't help that he knew she had money. She had more than enough money to last her a lifetime and she hadn't drank the blood yet. If she made it out of the city and never contacted them, then unless it was pure luck in the future, they would never be able to find her. Her scent trail was too cold, they didn't even have that to go off of.

Suddenly hitting his brake, David looked to his left. A breeze had just blown by him and gunning it in the direction it came from, he quickly found his way to the edge of a small forest along the outskirts of town before he turned off his bike and got off. What was she doing here?

The sound of a cough drew his attention and appearing in the middle of a run-down campsite he looked around, but the only person here was an old homeless woman who was busy going through a bag that had obviously been Faer's. Immediately, he snatched her up, slamming her against a tree.

"Where is she?!" he roared.

"W…what?" asked the old woman, confused.

"The girl that bag belongs too! Where is she?!"

"I…I don't know! She said she didn't need them anymore! She just dropped it and wandered off! I swear!" Growling lowly now, David continued to glare at her while he loosened his grip a bit.

"Which way did she go?" he asked as his anger calmed only to be replaced with something else. Something he hadn't felt in a long time as realization of what she was doing hit him like a ton of bricks. She wasn't trying to leave the city. She was trying to leave this world and he was scared he wouldn't make it in time.

Shakily, the woman pointed her finger in the direction she had seen Faer go and putting her down, he left the shaken woman to her doings, his brothers following from the trees. Normally, he wouldn't have allowed the woman to live, but he needed to find Faer and he hadn't revealed his vampiric side to her besides his unhuman like strength. The woman would live, for now.

Running through the forest, he came upon a cliff side and paused in his footsteps. There standing at the edge of the cliff was Faer. She didn't look at them, but they knew she knew they were there. Her body had tensed the second they appeared and slowly moving forward, David held out his hand towards her.

"Faer, come here." he said calmly, his voice gentle as he tried to get her to turn towards him. All he wanted to do was rush her and grab her but he knew that if he did that then he would never regain her trust.

"go away." she whispered, not turning to face him as he wanted.

"You know I'm not going to do that. Come here."

"why? So you can leave me alone somewhere again?"

"I'm sorry about that. We were trying to lure James out. It was better if you didn't know." There was silence for a minute and the longer it went on the more uneasy the boys became. Something had happened that they didn't know about.

"…it worked."

"What?"

"it worked. James found me."

"What did he do?"

"he grabbed me. when he tried to drag me away, I kicked him in the stomach and he let go. I ran after that. grabbed my bag and ran." Taking in a shuddering breath, she lowered her head. "At first, I was going to catch a bus. Then I thought a plane would be better. But…the more I thought about it, the more I realized it would never end. James would search for me. You said you'd hunt me down. There's nowhere to run, so…this is the last option."

"It's not the last option and you don't have to run. Just come here. Get away from the ledge at least."

"no."

"Faer, come here."

"No!" she said louder as she began to shake her head.

"Faer!"

"no more." and then she disappeared over the edge. Diving after her, he caught her in his arms struggling to hold her still as she began to fight, hoping to loosen his hold so she'd fall into the violent waves. "LET ME GO!"

Not answering her, David sent out a silent command for his brothers to feed and then return to the cave with their bikes before he took to the sky, carrying the struggling woman with him. It didn't take long for him to reach his destination, but after he had taken off, he had to place one of his hands over her mouth to muffle her screaming, while the other one grasped her so strongly, she eventually stopped flailing as she couldn't breathe.

Walking into the cave, he set her down on the bed, watching as she took in large lungful's of breath. The minute she had regained it though, she tried to crawl off of the bed and he easily grasped her ankle, pulling her back to him. She lashed out of course, but he easily took the hit and reached for her hands, pulling them behind her back to keep her pinned.

"LET ME GO!" she cried, her voice breaking as she fought the onslaught of emotions that had begun to overwhelm her.

"No."

"Let me go!" Her breaths were beginning to become uneven once more but he didn't release her, his hands still pressing her into the mattress.

"No."

"..pl…plea…se…" she whispered.

"No." That was when the crying truly began. Faer's sobs filling the air as he continued to hold her down until she went limp.

He was slow to release her, making sure she wouldn't lash out at him again and watching her curl in on herself away from him, he couldn't help but feel a slight pain in his chest that she wanted nothing to do with him now.

After a few minutes, he deemed that she wasn't going to move and he turned to face his brothers who were just entering the cave. All of the bikes had been retrieved and his brothers had fed, they were done for the night and giving them silent orders to make sure she didn't leave, he took off back to the Boardwalk. There would be slim pickings as the Boardwalk was closing, but he would find something to sate him. The thought of the old woman in the forest crossed his mind, but he quickly shook that thought. The old woman had been useful and for that he would allow her to live.

Grabbing the first person he caught alone, he fed quickly and then returned to the cave, the sobs still loud as ever as he walked in. He could tell his brothers were more than uncomfortable with the whole situation. They never really dealt with crying where they weren't able to silence it by ripping the person's throat out. But Faer was one of them, so that thought was immediately tossed out the window.

Wandering over to the bed, he motioned for Marko to get up from his spot beside her. At least the cherubic vampire had tried to calm her, but it appeared that he was having about as much luck of getting her to calm down as he had had during the day when James showed up at the house. 'David, she won't stop. She's going to end up becoming sick if we don't get her to calm down.' he said through their link.

'I know. But I don't want to force her to sleep again. It messes with her mind too much.'

'Wouldn't it be better if she just forgot this night?' questioned Dwayne as he looked towards them from his spot on the couch.

'Yes. But if I let her remember, then she'll be more weary. And if she's more weary, then maybe she'll drink. Besides, she's not stupid, she'll start to notice the holes in her memory.' The others nodded their heads, that yes that was a valid point and telling them to leave the cave for the moment, they readily beat it, running for the peaceful silence of the night beyond their home.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Faer." he said after a minute of watching her. Flinching as he spoke her name, Faer curled more in on herself before she felt the bed dip with David's weight as he sat down. "Faer, look at me."

"i…I want…to go…"

"I'm not letting you go. Not ever. Do you understand?" The crying picked up in intensity and cursing himself silently, he moved to lay upon the bed behind her before he reached out an arm to wrap about her waist, pulling her towards him. She struggled with vigor immediately, her body trying to get away from him but he only tightened his hold, keeping her pressed up against his chest.

"Let Me GO!"

"Stop struggling."

"I don't want to be here anymore!"

"I'm not giving you a choice. I'm not going to let you commit suicide."

"He'll…he'll find me!"

"Then I'll kill him."

"it's not that…simple!"

"Yes it is."

"It's not!"

"Yes it is. Now hush. Just breathe." Turning her around to face him, he pulled her to him once more and rested his chin upon her head as she continued to struggle against him a little more before the comforting embrace began to have the desired effect and her crying started to calm.

When the tears had subsided for the most part and she was left sniffling in his arms, he listened to her heartbeat, hoping she would fall asleep.

"something's going to happen." she whispered wearily.

"Why do you say that?"

"because my lady told me not to drink."

"Not this again." he muttered to himself. "It's alright to admit if you're frightened about the transformation."

"i'm not…she said not to drink because something is going to happen. something bad and I need to be human for it."

"The worst thing you can be when something bad happens is human."

"not if I'm meant to die." David had no answer to that. He, along with his brothers, had been feeling a tension in the air that they hadn't been able to explain and now he knew that she felt it too. The only difference was that she wrote off her natural ability to feel danger as a higher power, probably because she was able to feel it so much more than other people. The only thing he couldn't figure out was why she had chosen such an obscure god versus the ones so popularized by the rest of society. But now was not the time for that. The sun was beginning to rise and his brothers had returned, already venturing into the back chamber.

"Go to sleep Faer. We'll figure everything out tomorrow." His words were meaningless, she had already fallen asleep, more than exhausted from the emotional onslaught that had wrought her mind. She was out and pulling off her shoes and coat, he drew the covers over her and closed the curtains surrounding the bed. Retreating to the darkness of their sleeping cave, he moved to be with his brothers before the sun pulled him into slumber and he knew no more.


	20. Is That A Cat!

**Is That A….Cat?!**

Summary: It's midday and guess who wakes up early? Well since the boys are still sleeping, a little exploring couldn't hurt anything could it? Wait...is that a cat!?

It was about midday when Faer began to stir. At first, she was groggy but then as she stared up at the dim darkness surrounding her, everything from the previous night began to come back. Slowly, she sat up, her head spinning a bit before it calmed and she moved to stand. Her body was exhausted still, but she pushed passed it, grabbing her coat as the semi cold air hit her. Surprisingly, the cave itself was pretty warm, but that was because the bed sat near the back of it and therefore the cold air had more time to warm up before it hit her.

'Where are they?' she thought, waiting to see if maybe she could hear the boys. But when there was no sound, she slowly pulled the curtain aside to see that the sun was shining in the front part of the cave. 'They must be sleeping.' she concluded. For some reason, she felt a bit of relief. As much as she liked the boys, she wasn't happy that they had stopped her from ending her life.

She knew it was selfish, but staying and putting them in danger was just as selfish. Plus, if she left then David would hunt her down which would mean Dwayne, Marko and Paul would follow as well, leaving Max and the others alone and considering how the others were still so young when it came to being full fledged vampires, not to mention the fact that Lucy, Sam and Laddie were all half and human, if trouble struck, Max would be in trouble. She couldn't allow that, so the only option left was for her to remove herself from the picture entirely.

But now that she thought about it, could she really do it? Yesterday, she had been upset. The boys had left her alone on the Boardwalk, James had found her and the fight in the alley? She had been so upset and confused and scared and David leaving her only to show up and stop her from killing herself on top of it all was puzzling and the only thing she wanted now was to be left alone for as long as she could hide. She needed to think and to give herself time to freak out with no one else around.

Pulling on her shoes, Faer searched her coat pockets to see what she had. The only thing on her person was her wallet and at the moment that wasn't going to help. So, she began to search the cave and eventually came across a flashlight that, surprisingly, actually worked. Turning it on, she began to explore the other rooms.

There were really only three entrances, well that she noticed anyways, there could have been more that the boys knew about. After all Marko had told her that they each had their own little room somewhere else around there. Apparently, they had had fun renovating one year.

Wandering over to the closest doorway, she walked in and noticed that it was a bathroom of sorts. The sink she found worked, thankfully, along with the shower and surprisingly, the toilet flushed as well with a few rolls of toilet paper sitting on the floor beside it. Faer concluded that it was more or less for Laddie's sake when he came to stay at the cave with Dwayne since he was only a half vampire and she couldn't remember seeing any of the boys use a bathroom when she was around them. Of course, everything needed a good cleaning, just like the cave where they hung out. But she stopped her look over when she turned around and saw what else was in there. Smiling as she spotted several wires hanging up, Faer couldn't help but laugh.

'At least they do their laundry. That's always good to know.' Leaving the room, she wandered into the second room. It was a small kitchen of sorts, probably used by the staff she figured when the hotel had been running, but nothing that needed electricity actually worked.

The cupboards were bare and there were a few boxes of Chinese takeout sitting half eaten on the table. The smell of rotten garbage filled the air like a thick fog and making a disgusted face, she looked towards the corner to see a more than overflowing trashcan in desperate need of being thrown out.

'Remember the laundry. The laundry was a good point. This, not so much.' she thought shaking her head. 'I really hope they don't expect me to clean house if I ever end up here with them. I really will kill myself then.' Pausing in her thoughts when her stomach started to rumble, Faer looked about and sighed. 'Well it can't all be rotten, can it?'

After a moment of looking for anything that might have been remotely edible still, Faer sighed as she called off the search and started to turn towards the doorway once more, her light traveling over the counters before she paused and moved it back.

'I'm hallucinating aren't I?' she asked herself as she stared at a very casually sitting black and white cat that was perched atop the counter near the fridge. 'There's no way in hell a cat would be in here.'

Approaching the counter slowly, Faer began to raise her hand slowly. "Hi kitty. Where did you come from?" she asked quietly. However, before she could reach the cat, it jumped down and ran behind the fridge. "Wait! Come back, you'll get hurt!" But the cat didn't reappear and thinking it had gotten itself stuck back there, she gingerly pulled the fridge out, surprised when it moved easily. "What the…?"

There on the wall behind the fridge was a small door, only about four feet tall and three and a half feet wide. The door of course, had a large hole chewed thru the bottom, big enough for the cat to fit through and feeling a bit of curiosity as to where the door could possibly lead to, she placed her hand on the sliding lock and pulled it open.

"Woah…." As the door opened, she was greeted with darkness, a short room with another door being shown in the light of her flashlight. 'Should I?' she asked herself and after another minute of staring at the second door, she took a step inside and placed her hand on the opening. Pushing it open, she instantly felt as though she had stepped through the looking glass.

A long hallway greeted her vision and said hallway was immaculate. Pristine, almost as though the earthquake that had sunk the hotel had never hit and aside from needing light and a good cleaning and dusting, the sight was beautiful. Almost immediately, energy filled her exhausted body and taking off running, she ran down the hallway, shining her flashlight all over the place searching and looking for more and more.

Room after room greeted her sight and opening the doors with ever growing excitement she started to jump up and down when each room held something different. "I wonder if this is what David was talking about when he said there were other rooms to explore? Then again…if the guys had found this place then I highly doubt it would be this clean still. It's almost like a time capsule. It hasn't been touched. So then if that's true, then where have the guys…?"

Pausing in her musings as she continued to walk through the winding corridor that branched off into several other halls, Faer paused when she came to the main lobby. Unlike the hallways she had just traveled through this area did show signs of the earthquake. What was once the main entrance and the receptionist's desk was now nothing but ruble and a slide of earth. The shattered glass that had once made up the doors lay in pieces upon the floor.

Continuing to look around the space, she could see that the left side of the hotel had taken the brunt of the damage. The few rooms that were stationed there for guests to hold private meetings or just stay away from the main crowd of the hotel were all mostly filled with dirt and some of the walls were even caved in as well, spreading out into the lobby. However what surprised Faer the most was that the grand staircase leading up to the next level looked to be fine. Upon closer inspection, she found that the reasoning for that was because the staircase was unbelievably all one piece of stone.

"No wonder the hotel sank like a ship. The staircase must have weighed as much as the other materials used to build this place. How the hell did they even get it here?" Staring at it in awe, Faer shone her flashlight higher and higher over the massive piece until she reached the top and noticed that it didn't look to have any damage. "Didn't it get up here too?" Walking up the stairs, she paused at the top and shone her flashlight back and forth. The right seemed to be fine but the left was caved in a bit as well. Part of the wall lying upon the floor while the earth had rushed in to create a heap there too. "Hmm."

Walking back down the stairs, Faer looked everything over with a critical eye before she decided to go back up. She really wanted to see if any of the left side on the second floor was still in one piece. Unlike the first floor that was completely obstructed by debris, a small passage leading to another hall appeared to be close to the back wall. However, before she would even think about stepping closer, she wanted to make sure that it was stable.

"The support beam looks good and the part that's caved in seems to be packed pretty tightly beneath the second floor as well. Everything looks like it's stable, I just…do I really want to chance it?" Pausing for a moment, Faer thought for all of a second before she shook her head and walked over to the passage. "After this past week. I really don't care anymore." Squeezing through, she stopped as she saw that the rest of the hall was clear and feeling excitement fill her once more, she took a deep breath and traveled further inside the sunken hotel.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

It had been hours since she had truly entered the sunken hotel and deciding it was time to go back, she froze at the door. This was her chance. Her chance for absolute time alone. The boys didn't know that this part of the hotel still existed. At least not from how clean and pristine this area was anyways. She was sure that if the guys had found it, then there would have been crap everywhere like there was in the main cave.

But she had to pause as she thought more about it. She didn't have any food or drinkable water. Thankfully, she had found a working bathroom in a large suite several floors up, but other than that, she had nothing. Could she really?

'Just one day. One day alone. That's all I need.' she thought staring at the fridge in the servant's kitchen. There was a handle on the back of it so she could easily close the door from her side and the boys wouldn't know. With another moment of hesitation, she nodded her head and gingerly grabbed the handle before she pulled the fridge back into place and shut the first door. 'Just one day.' she told herself as she closed the second door as well. 'One day.'

Moving back into the hotel, she walked up the stairs and made her way to the room with the working bathroom still. This, she had decided upon discovery, she would claim as her own. The set of rooms were a decent size. She figured they must have been meant only for high paying customers because in total, there were only four rooms in the entire hall. Two on each side with all of them having a living room, a separate dining room with a small kitchen for the staff and a large bedroom with a connecting bathroom. They were good suites, they just needed a desperate cleaning with the rest of the hotel.

'I'll have to get some new sheets when I have a chance.' she thought tiredly as she pulled off the current set and shook them over in a corner before she remade the bed and lay down on the surprisingly still soft mattress. Her day of adventure was beginning to catch up with her and with one final yawn and a click of the flashlight, she fell asleep.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

In the Cave

The second the sun had disappeared over the horizon, the boys made their way out into the main room and over to the bed where the curtains were still drawn. They were hoping that now that Faer had gotten a decent night's sleep, she would be in somewhat better spirits. Well, at least enough to not cry again.

Pulling back the curtains, their eyes all widened when they looked to where the figure on the bed should have been but found nothing instead. Faer wasn't there and even worse, her shoes and coat were gone as well. Immediately, growling filled the air and rushing outside, they looked about hastily, hoping to find her just passed the cave's entrance watching the sunset. They could understand the desire. After all, she only had so many more remaining that she would be able to watch. Even more so, if that wasn't the case, then perhaps she was waiting for her lady to rise so she could find solace in the calm rays of light she enjoyed bathing in. However, it wasn't so. Faer wasn't there.

"Find her!" yelled David with anger coating his voice heavily as he felt his face revert to his primal side. He was pissed, beyond pissed and his hands were just itching to grab a hold of the woman that was making his life a living pain. "Find her now and when you do, bring her to me!" He had had enough. He had been more than patient with her and now that she was in danger and she needed their protection more than ever, she had run from them, again! There would be no more leniency. The minute she was returned to him, she would drink or he would force her to.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Faer's Room

It was several hours later when Faer was woken by voices. At first, she panicked, turning the flashlight on in a hurry before she searched her room over, thinking that the boys had indeed known about the rest of the hotel but had forgone ever using it. However, when she found nothing in the bedroom and the rest of the suite empty, she moved onto the hall.

Minutes passed as she searched, her body shaking slightly with the fear that she would move her flashlight and all of a sudden an angry figure would be before her with piercing golden eyes and long fangs. There was no doubt in her mind that David would be pissed by her little stunt, but she didn't think he'd be so pissed that she'd be able to hear him five floors up from where his voice was ringing.

It had taken a little bit, but Faer found that once she reached the second floor hallway once more, the sound of David's voice was pretty much clear as day. However, he wasn't there just like with the other hallways and searching for where his voice could possibly be coming from, she paused when her flashlight caught a small hole in the floor near the wall.

Approaching it slowly, she looked at the hole closer and realized that it wasn't so small after all. She could probably fit her arm through it and leaning down, she looked inside to see if she could see the guys. They had to be directly below her, there was no other place they could be since they weren't in the hall. If they had been out in the lobby then their voices would have been far more muffled than they were at the moment. The only place they could have been was below her and leaning over the opening, she jumped slightly when the sound of growling and things hitting metal echoed loudly in her ear.

"David we'll find her. She couldn't have gotten far." That sounded like Dwayne, she thought wishing she could see, but she didn't want to shine the flashlight down into the hole and give her location away just yet.

"How?! She hasn't drunk the blood yet! Her scent trail is cold!"

"She doesn't have any money…" began Marko.

"She has plenty of money! Hundreds of thousands! She could have bought a plane ticket or gotten on a bus! What if James has her?!" David was furious. She knew he would be angry but the fury in his voice was at least twice what she thought it might be and that scared her immensely because she knew he was growing tired of her. It was just a matter of time before she began to wear on him like Star had.

'I wanted a day alone and all it did was piss the guys off.' she thought tiredly as she moved to lay down upon the floor next to the hole.

'What did you think would happen? They'd see the empty bed and be like ok, she'll come back when she's ready.'

'Yeah, that was a fool's hope. I guess I was just so exhausted that I didn't bother to actually think it through.'

'Not your best moment huh?'

'I think I've had several this past week.'

"David she's smart. She wouldn't have let James grab her. Maybe she just went back to the house." came Paul's voice next.

"Do you honestly believe that if she was back at the house that Max would not be here right now chewing our ears off?!"

"Good point."

"DAMNIT! WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON HER I'LL…"

'Say something.'

'But what if…?'

'He's freaking out because he has no idea where you are. That should tell you that he cares, even if it's just a little. So say something. Now.'

'But…'

'They don't know how to get in. If anything you can still have your alone time, just let them know you're alright. They're worried and the longer you wait the worse it becomes. Say something. Say something now!'

"We'll look again tomorrow. Check the bus stations and the airport. If we haven't…"

"david."

Instantly everything went quiet and hesitantly, she waited for the uproar.

"Faer." came David's voice. She could tell he was trying to hold in his anger. "Where. Are. You?"

"uh…i…I'm here." she said, her voice shaking. She made sure to not give away her spot just yet but she knew they were looking for where her voice had come, just like she had done only minutes ago.

"How did she get up there?" she heard Paul wonder aloud before David's roar echoed in the air and a clawed hand appeared through the hole.

"GET OUT HERE NOW!" Faer screamed, jumping away from the hole and the clawed hand that was trying to grab her in vain. "GET OUT HERE RIGHT NOW!" Picking up her flashlight, Faer ran as fast as she could back to the room she had claimed as her own, all the while trying to ignore the roars and yells and the sound of claws trying to tear the hole open wider. "FAER!" she heard over and over again and curling in on herself in the middle of the bed, she covered her ears and tried to drown it all out.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

In the Cave

"Damnit!" Growling as he tried to claw his way through the concrete ceiling so he could get to Faer, David hissed and lashed out at Dwayne when the quiet vampire placed a calming hand upon his shoulder. "Either help me rip this concrete apart or back off!" he yelled angrily.

"David, just leave her alone for now. The sun is up, we don't have the strength to rip apart the ceiling at the moment."

"Leave her alone!? After all the shit she has pulled, you expect me to leave her alone?!"

"She's scared man." called Paul with a yawn as he flipped upside down and grasped the bar with his clawed feet. "Let the chika calm down on her own."

"Yeah." added Marko as he joined his brother. "It's been a rough week for her. Just be glad she only went further into the cave and not where we can't reach her."

"We can't reach her right now!"

"David just go to bed. When the sun sets then we can decide what to do. If she comes back to the hole then we can see if she'll tell us how she got in there. If not, then we'll rip the ceiling apart and find her that way. You just have to wait until sunset." said Dwayne once more, hoping that his reasoning would be the final piece to calm his friend and brother down.

"It's not safe." replied David as he ignored his brothers and decided to pace around on the ground.

"What are you talking about bro? She's safe. We're right here." said Marko confused.

"No, she's not! We're here and she's in there! A part we've never been too before! Whatever she managed to find of the hotel, is a part we've never explored. Who knows what damage the building sustained when it fell. If something happens then we'll never be able to reach her in time. Even worse, she's human. She's too easy to kill."

"Woah man." said Marko surprised as he stared at his brother. "You're really worried about her aren't you?"

"She's my mate! I don't exactly have a choice!"

"She'll be fine David. Just wait till nightfall."

"I can't!"

"Well you don't have a choice! We don't know how to get in and we don't have the strength! Now go to bed!"

"What, you think you get to call the shots now Dwayne!?"

"When you act like an idiot, yes! Just go to bed and it'll be nightfall before you know it." Growling, David stared at his three brothers that were hanging upside down upon their bars. He didn't like how nonchalant they were being. He didn't like that they couldn't understand his anger or his concerns. "David, I know you're worried about your mate. But our hands are tied at the moment. Just go to bed."

"sigh…Sometimes I hate you guys." he said as he untied his shoes and jumped so he could join his brothers.

"GASP!" cried Paul and Marko before they took on indignant looks. "How dare you! You love us and you know it!"

"You'd be lost without us bro! Heck, you even admitted as much just a week and a half ago!" added Marko with a nod of his head and sighing once more, David chuckled as he felt his worry and ire calm a bit while the sun started to call to him.

"You're lucky you two are my brothers."

"Aw, is big bwother David admitting he would miss us?" cooed Paul with a childish voice while he moved closer to the platinum blonde.

"Don't be stupid." said David as he swung out his arm and caught his youngest brother in the stomach before Paul fell to the ground with a thud.

"Ow!" he cried, sitting up while he rubbed his head and Marko laughed uproariously, his hands wrapping about his stomach while Paul just grumbled and moved to join them once more.

"Jeesh Paul. One would think you're a newborn! This is the second time this week that you've fallen!"

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up! I'll get you for laughing at me when you least expect it."

Chuckling as he stared at the two while they pushed each other around, David took a deep breath and closed his eyes, his arms folding over his chest in their usual pose as he prepared for sleep.

"Go to sleep you two. We have a busy night ahead of us."

"sigh…fine!" grumbled the two before they calmed down and closed their eyes. Within seconds the sun had a hold of them and they were out.


	21. You're Taking the Next Step

**You're Taking the Next Step**

Summary: Night has fallen and the hunt is on. Can the Boys find the entrance to the Hotel? And just what will David do to Faer when he finds her?

Night had fallen and the boys wasted no time in searching their cave from top to bottom. The entrance to where Faer was, had to be around there somewhere.

Quickly an hour passed by before they all sighed and sat down in their respected places.

"I don't get it!" yelled David as he fumed quietly upon his throne. "How the hell did she get in there?!"

"Maybe she left the cave and went exploring? You know we've always suspected there to be another entrance to the hotel. We've just never bothered to go looking for it." suggested Marko as he chewed on his thumb. He was worried about the little sis. She was still healing from not eating for a week and since she never came out the previous night, that was just another set of meals she had missed. She had to have been starving by now if not actually getting sick. The human body could only take so much and with her mind in a constant state of fear because of James, that only made the situation that much worse.

"No. Now that I've had a chance to think about it, I don't think she would risk herself like that again so soon. Not after James caught her on the Boardwalk. The entrance has to be in here somewhere. Just, where?!"

"Well, put yourself in her shoes. She's human still, so where would she go first if she was just getting up?" questioned Dwayne. Immediately, they all looked towards the bathroom before they rushed to the door and crammed inside.

They left nothing untouched. Flying to the top, David and Dwayne felt the walls for any leeway, while Paul and Marko checked around the bottom, trying to make sure that nothing was out of place. Within minutes they were once again disappointed when they turned up nothing.

"She'd want food next." said Marko. "A week without food and part of a meal, she had to be starving yesterday."

"Too bad there's nothing in the kitchen for her to eat." replied Dwayne.

"Marko, you'll have to go on a food run later tonight after we've found her. Got it?" said David as they walked into the kitchen and froze. It stunk something horrible to their vampiric senses and cringing when they noticed the trashcan, David gave Paul a pointed look and the wild maned vampire shook his head.

"That is not my job." he said vehemently. "You always send Marko out for food and he's the only one who comes in here, so he should take out the trash. Not me!"

"Hey man! If I fetch it, you can trash it!" yelled Marko.

"I don't care which one of you trash it, just take the damn thing out! NOW!" Freezing as David's patience seemed to snap, Marko and Paul both grumbled before they turned to each other and quickly did a round of rock, paper, scissors. With a triumphant cry, Marko grinned widely while Paul cursed before he walked over to the more than overflowing trashcan and picked it up.

"Ugh…the ladies will never come near me now." he whined.

"Then go take a dip in the ocean on your way back." chuckled Dwayne while he and the others began to look over the kitchen with a more critical eye this time.

This had to be where she had found the entrance. There was no other place she could have done so, considering the third room was a little holding cell they had dug out themselves for late night snacks they wanted to keep around a little longer than a night. That room absolutely had no way out, they had made sure of it.

"Check everything." ordered David as he opened the cabinets and pressed along the back of them to see if something there would give while Dwayne and Marko checked the walls.

"Anything?" questioned Paul, returning from taking out the trash.

"No. Check that side."

"Can do big…bro.." Turning to start on his side, Paul's voice slowly died as he spotted something off, sitting just on top of the counter. "Hey Marko. When'd you get a cat?"

"Huh?!" All pausing in their jobs as well, the other three quickly looked to where Paul's gaze was set, each of them thinking that the youngest of them was just fooling around as he usually did when the air was somewhat tense. But it appeared that Paul was telling the truth, cause right in front of them was a black and white cat staring at them nonchalantly while its tail raised and fell lackadaisically.

"Marko? Have something you need to tell us?" questioned David as he looked at the cherubic vampire with a pointed stare.

"Don't look at me man. I didn't get a cat. The guys don't like them." It didn't take a genius to know that Marko was talking about his precious birds and snorting with disinterest, Dwayne just shook his head and started to step towards the feline that had decided to make itself at home in their cave.

"Then how did it get in? Cats don't come near the cliff." he mused, raising a hand so he could grab the thing. However, before he could touch it, the cat jumped off the counter and dove behind the fridge.

"You don't think…" started Marko as they all froze again, watching where the cat had disappeared.

"No way it's that simple." said Paul, shaking his head.

"Only one way to find out." finished David as he stepped up to the fridge and ripped it away from the wall.

"Huh."

Staring at the wall behind the fridge dumbfounded, the boys all subconsciously slapped themselves as they looked at the small door Faer had found little more than a day ago. In all the years they had spent in the cave, never once had they thought to pull the fridge out, which was kind of funny considering the thing had stopped working a long time before they had ever showed up.

"You don't suppose…" began Paul slowly as he scratched the back of his head and looked sheepishly out into their living room. "We've been living in the servant's area…do you?" The boys all had to admit, Paul's question did seem to be plausible. After all, the hotel that had been there before was said to be one of the grandest in the nation when it was first built. Heck, even Max had said it was a pity more of it hadn't survived when he first stopped by to see them when they had moved in originally.

"Who cares if this was the servant's quarters. It's worked fine for us. But now that we know there's more, I just want to see what's still there. Come on man, open the door!" whined Marko as he stared at David and the door eagerly. More of the hotel, meant more areas for him to explore. More private time from his brothers when they got to be too much.

Not that he was complaining really, it was just…everyone needed their space now and then and well, even though he and his brothers were close, they really could only stand each other so much before they had to take a break. That was why they had had fun digging out a tunnel and putting several rooms in it one year. There was a private space for each of them to just chill and mess up even more than their living room and no one, not even David, was allowed to set foot in them without permission first. It was a system they had agreed upon and it had worked well, even though the rooms left several things to be desired, like actual doors. There were so many nights when the boys were each woken up by one of them having fun with a conquest and well, needless to say, as much as they enjoyed hearing the story the following night, they did not enjoy listening to the tale be wrote.

"Come on David, open the door! Please?!" cried Marko and Paul as they watched their older brother stare at it for a moment before he raised his gloved hand, signaling for the two youngest to be quiet.

"When I open the door, the first thing we do is find her. If she's awake, don't startle her and don't make her scream. Like I said last night, we have no idea what state the rest of the hotel is in. Last thing we need is for her to scream and the building to tumble around us."

"Dude, I'm pretty sure if we haven't caused the rest of the building to fall from our antics, than a scream from Faer isn't going to do much." said Paul with a grin. But David just growled and Paul was quick to put his hands up in surrender. "Hey man, I'm just sayin."

"I'm not risking it. Not until we can look at the building more, understood? Now as I was saying. If she's awake, don't startle her. If she's asleep, don't wake her. Call for me and I'll take it from there. Got it?"

Nodding their heads, the boys all agreed before they turned their attention once more to the door. With a firm push, it swung open to reveal the short room before the second door and opening that as well, they stepped out into the time capsule that Faer had found the other day.

"Woah." echoed Paul and Marko as they looked up towards the ceiling. To say that their shock was great was an understatement. It was pristine, more so than they had ever hoped. If anything, it had looked as though the area they called home had taken more damage than the actual hotel itself.

"Hey David? Can we move in here?" asked Marko with a childish voice as he felt the need to explore fill him. However, David didn't answer and looking about, they quickly realized that he wasn't there.

"He went to find Faer." said Dwayne as he started to walk into the building, not really caring whether or not the other two were following behind him.

"Oh yeah. Gotta find the little mouse. Wanna bet on who finds her first?"

"Pff, you know David will and Mouse?!" mused Paul with a smirk while he and Marko started to follow behind Dwayne. "Where'd you come up with that?"

"Well, she's usually quiet…"

"And she's usually loud as well. Depends on what mood you catch her in."

"Well yeah, but her nature is generally calm and relaxed. However, what I'm really going off of, is that the little sis scampered away from us and crawled through a hole, like a mouse!"

"HAHAHA!" Holding his stomach as he laughed uproariously from Marko's explanation, Paul cried out and rubbed the back of his head when Dwayne quickly slapped him. "Hey, what was that for man!?"

"David said be quiet. Don't piss him off even more than he already is. The last thing we need to do is make him angrier for Faer to deal with, understand?"

"You don't think David would…?" began Marko as he started to worry once more.

"Who knows? But we do know his temper and we know how he can get. Let's try to spare Faer as much as we can right now. He's going to put her through enough just for disappearing for a night. Let's not add to it."

"Yes Dwayne." answered Paul and Marko as their enthusiasm at exploring the place quickly died.

"Good. Then let's find her first and then we can explore. Got it?" Nodding their heads, the three moved to follow after their second oldest brother, their senses heightened as they tried to make sure they missed nothing as they passed.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Traveling up several floors, David began to grow frustrated the further into the hotel he went. He didn't think Faer would have gone this far in to hide, but then again, she was pretty unpredictable at times. It just depended on how upset or unsafe she thought she was, which of course, was a condition of being human. He could recall several instances where his nightly meal had been more thrilling than normal due to someone thinking they could escape his claws. They never could, but he did enjoy the extra amusement they provided as a result of their fear.

Looking around as he continued through, David was absolutely astounded by how well intact the hotel was and inwardly, he was making plans to move his brothers and him into the main area where it would be far safer. After the incident with the Emersons, he had been trying to think of someplace safer for his brothers and him to sleep but no matter where he thought of, the place was either too open or too close to Max for either of their comforts. No matter what, the two of them being on opposite sides of the city was truly for the best.

Pausing in his thoughts as he walked up to the fifth floor of the hotel, he inhaled deeply when he caught scent of something other than dust. It was a soft scent, like honey and milk combined with salt, not entirely unpleasant but it told him that Faer was somewhere in the hall. Wasting no time, he picked up his pace and concentrated on his hearing, trying to see if he could hear her heart beat through the concrete walls.

"….thump….thump…" Looking to the very last door on the right of the hallway, he used his vampiric speed to appear before it in a second before he placed his hand gingerly on the knob. He didn't want to startle her, even though he wanted nothing more than to throttle her at the moment, and he didn't want her to try to run from him again. "..thump…..thump….thump…"

'Her heartbeat is slow. She couldn't still be sleeping could she?' he thought as listened to her heartbeat for another minute. 'Then again, she's not exactly in the best of health at the moment. She's missed too many meals lately and she hasn't been drinking anything either. Her body could be trying to conserve whatever strength she has left.'

Turning the knob, he slowly opened the door before he made his way inside and looked around. He had come into a living room with everything covered in a good layer of dust and the windows shattered by the earth that had crushed it beneath its pressure. All in all, the room was still pretty decent for what it had been through, but then again, the entire hotel was a marvel to behold. If anything, it appeared that the only thing that had defected was the ground beneath the hotel and not the actual building itself.

'That's what you get when you build something on a fault line.' he thought with a shake of his head before he turned towards a large set of doors when his ears picked up a small moan. Within another second, he had pushed them open and moved to stand beside the bed, his eyes taking in the figure that was tossing fitfully upon it with concern.

"GASP!" Watching as Faer shot up panting, David remained silent as she took deep breaths and raised a shaky hand to her head, silent tears coursing down her cheeks while she tried to calm herself. "..he promised." she whispered brokenly. "he promised." David didn't say anything even though he wanted to know who she was talking about, but when a minute had passed and she took in another shaky breath, she paused, her head slowly lifting as her eyes looked blindly about the pitch black room, obviously having caught scent of something other than dirt and dust. "…d….david?" she asked hesitantly.

"I'm here." he replied, not bothering to keep up a charade since that wouldn't get him anywhere.

"w…where?" Spreading her arms out, she searched for her flashlight before she turned it on and blinked at the sudden light.

"Too dark for you?" he asked as he moved to sit upon the bed while she just shook her head no and turned away from him, her hand furiously trying to wipe away her tears. "What was it about?"

"huh?" Stopping in her task, she looked at him confused before he pointed at what she was trying to hide.

"You woke up panting and you're crying. Both say you had a nightmare. What was it about?"

"oh…uh…nothing." David snorted before he grasped her chin and made her look at him.

"Don't lie to me. Now tell me what it was about?"

"…."

"Faer."

"you left me." she whispered.

"What?"

"YOU LEFT ME!" she screamed and covering her mouth because she had become more emotional than she had wanted, she tried to turn away from his shocked gaze.

A moment passed as he stared at the distraught woman, guilt filling him again because he knew he had done more damage than he had thought by leaving her on the Boardwalk alone. It had been such a good plan, but one that he had not thought too hard into. Yes, he was expecting people to come after Faer, but he hadn't expected her to get hurt, physically or mentally, and now she was paying for it with nightmares that appeared to be draining her of what little strength she had left.

"Faer." he said slowly as he moved his hand from grasping her chin to cupping her cheek. "Did you honestly believe we had abandoned you?"

"you…you said…we were going…to the cave. you…you said you wouldn't…leave me…alone! but…you…you…and james…" Wrapping his arms about her as she broke down crying again, David pulled Faer close to him while she wrapped her arms in his shirt and buried her head in his chest. "You promised!"

"I know. I know I promised and I didn't keep it." he said softly as he ran his hand through her hair, his senses just catching that his brothers were in the other room waiting silently. 'Marko, go get her something light to eat again. Take it to my room.'

'Can do.'

'Paul, go find a bonfire for us to crash later.'

'On it.'

'Dwayne, stay here. I'll need you to open the doors when we come out.'

'Take your time.'

Turning his attention back to Faer, David pulled her closer to him until he had her set in his lap, his arms tightening their hold about her as her crying settled to soft whimpers. For a moment, neither of them said anything, the silence was comfortable for them. However, David looked down concerned when Faer began to panic once more, her hand coming up to cover her mouth as she refused to look at him again.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his eyes and hands searching her for a possible wound he hadn't noticed earlier.

"not yet." she whispered which made him pause for a moment before he grasped her chin and tilted her head back. "please not yet."

"sigh…Faer," began David, unsure of what to do. It didn't take a genius to understand what Faer was pleading for. Now that she had calmed down some, her mind was starting to whisper what all he might do to her for punishment and at the top of the list was the one she had been fighting him on since Thanksgiving. She didn't want to drink the blood yet.

"not yet."

"Calm down."

"please david."

"Faer, calm down." he said firmer this time while he moved his hands to grip her shoulders and hold her up before him. "After everything you've done, tell me one good reason I shouldn't have you drink? Do you think we'd have this many problems if you were a half vampire?" Not sure of what to say, Faer simply lowered her head and shook it, a small sob escaping her throat. "Do you know how much easier it would be for me to find you if you drank the blood? How much less I'd have to worry about you getting harmed or killed by something stupid, like I see happen on the Boardwalk practically every day? Can't you see I want you to drink because it's safer for you that way?" But Faer just continued to shake her head. "Why don't you want to drink? Tell me the truth and don't use your lady as an excuse." he asked for what felt like the tenth time since she had figured out what they were.

"I…I don't know." she said.

"That's not good enough." he replied, his grip about her arms becoming tighter.

"I don't know!" she said again with more conviction in her voice. "I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! Please David, I won't run away again! I promise. Just please!"

"No! Not until you tell me why!"

"I'M SCARED!" Pausing in his anger, David stared at Faer with a critical eye while she turned away from his gaze as much as she could, another sob escaping her throat as she raised her hand to cover her mouth. "I'm scared." Sighing, David pulled her close to him once more and rested his chin atop her head. While it was a relief to hear something different coming from her mouth, he knew it was nothing more than a lie meant to appease him.

Faer was smart, he didn't put it passed her to lie to him with what he wanted to hear so he would proverbially take a step back. The only question now though was, did he continue to call her out or did he just accept it with a compromise on both of their parts? He wasn't about to let her get away from him with nothing being done to resolve the matter. No, Faer needed to take another step in truly joining the pack, he just needed to decide how he was going to do it and make her think she was willing in the process.

"david?" she asked shakily when he had remained silent for too long.

"I want you marked." he said firmly.

"But…!"

"I want you marked and I don't care how it happens." Grasping the back of her hair, David pulled her head back and leveled her with a golden gaze. "You are my responsibility understand? If anything happens to you, then I'll be the one in trouble. You can fight me all you want, but you're going to get marked and if you want to come up with a reason for why I'm forcing your hand, then you can think of it as punishment for one; not telling us about James coming to the house until a week had passed, two; trying to commit suicide two nights ago and then finally three; making us panic when you ran in here and hid. Got it?"

"please…"

"No! I've been patient enough with you! I'm not waiting any longer, no matter what Max says." With a stern gaze, he watched as she flinched harshly at his decree but went limp in his hold, her strength gone as her mind finally accepted that she wasn't getting out of it this time. "You'll see soon enough that I'm doing this to protect you."

"not yet." she whined childishly, a little fight left in her even though her body had given out.

With a smirk, David inwardly grinned as Faer finally played into one of his traps. In the four months that she had been there, not once had she fallen for a trap he had laid. She was always able to either steer clear of them, or turn them completely around on him. But this time, this time she had fallen completely into the snare he had set up and unlike the others she had wiggled out of, there was no escape from this one. He would get what he wanted and there was nothing Max could do since in the end, she would be consenting, just not entirely willingly.

Letting her hair go, David began to run his fingers through the strands once more as he pulled her close again. "I'm not always a monster, Faer." he said softly as he moved to cup her cheek and run his thumb along the soft skin before he leaned down and allowed his breath to tickle her ear. "I'll give you a choice. But before you answer, you must listen to everything I have to say first. Understand?" Feeling the surprise roll off of her in waves, David watched as Faer nodded her head quickly before she leaned back a bit so he could see that she had his full attention. "Say it."

"I'll listen."

"Very well. Now as I was saying, I'll allow you to choose, but first you must listen. When it comes to marking, there are several different ways a vampire can go about it. In your case, I'm giving you two, the top two in fact. You can either drink the blood and become half, or you can let me mark you physically." Confusion was quick to set into her eyes and continuing to talk, David tried to erase as much of it as he could. "If you drink the blood, then I'll let you pick your first meal and when you'll make your first kill. I won't push you as I have the others in the past. It will be solely your choice. Now, as for the second one, I can mark you physically by biting your neck and leaving a scar in its place. This will tell not only other creatures like us that you may cross paths with in the future that you are claimed by another clan already, but it will also help me pinpoint your location accurately within a hundred mile radius. This is because when I mark you, I drink a bit of your blood and therefore I am able to form a small mental bond with you for a short period. One, where I can do more than just enter your mind and whisper thoughts like we do with prey."

Immediately, David could see that this was the option she was planning to choose and hoping to dissuade her from doing so, he pulled out what he was sure would be the deal breaker for her, judging from what he had been told in the past.

"Of course, the stipulations of this choice are that I make it pleasurable for you." As he spoke, he let his voice drop down into a low purr as he leaned to the side and let his breath ghost her ear again, a small smile covering his face for all of a second as she shivered against him. "If I mark you physically, then I'll have the pleasure of seeing you fully naked again, only this time, I'll get to enjoy the sight. However, instead of just tasting your breasts and running my fingers along the hem of your panties, I'm going to explore every part of you until you're withering beneath me. I'm going to bring you to your peak over and over until you're nothing more than a panting mess upon the bed and as soon as I make you cum again, then I'll mark you."

He had to grin as he tightened his hold about Faer. She was shaking in his grip once more and unlike earlier when it had been in fear, now it was mostly lust that was making her shiver. He loved that he was able to do that, that he was able to whisper into her ear and make her whither without actually doing anything. If she was this excited by what he was telling her, then he was curious to see how she would be when she wasn't dazed and he had his fingers buried deep within her. Of course, he had to remember that he was trying to get her to choose the blood.

According to her, she didn't want anything sexual with anyone unless they were her mate, and well, yes, he was her mate, but she didn't know that, yet. Faer picking the blood should have been a no brainer. She would have free reign to choose her final transformation and first kill. With the second option, he was literally going to make her submit to his whims and perusal of her body. Thinking, just knowing that it would be too much for her and she would just give in completely and finally drink. So to make sure he had in fact forced her "decision", he tilted her gaze up to meet his once more and leaned down until his lips were just barely brushing against hers.

"And the mark, Faer. I'll have to renew it. Every. Single. Night." The sound of her heart speeding up with newfound lust was not lost on David and grinning, he moved to close the gap between them when she reeled back quickly and tried to push him away once more. David couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped his throat at her reaction, but it was quickly washed away when her flailing died and she allowed her body to rest fully in his grasp. "Faer?" he questioned, concerned.

"di…dizzy. so dizzy." she mumbled and moving one of his arms down beneath her legs, he stood and held her to him as he made for the door.

'Dwayne.' he called, his mind now concentrated on getting Faer to their main living area and feeding her before he ultimately put her back to bed. 'We're leaving.'

'Yeah.'

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

'It's on the nightstand.' said Marko as he watched David walk out of the kitchen with a mostly unconscious Faer in his arms. Nodding his head, David flew up to the Jim Morrison poster with Dwayne and entered the small hallway that was hiding behind it.

'The little chika alright?' asked Paul as his two oldest brothers walked passed him and his room and continued further into the darkness.

'She's sick. Did you find a bonfire to crash?'

'Yeah, a good one too. You should see some of the girls there.'

'You're not bringing any of them home.'

'WHAT?!'

'I mean it. We crash it, we kill them, we burn them. That's it.'

'Aw come on David! My game's getting weak! All this stuff with Faer is throwing me off my groove!'

'I'm sorry my mate being stalked by her ex and our family being in danger is such a damper to your fuck life.' said David icily as he entered his room and lay Faer down on the bed while Dwayne followed behind him and turned on the few lamps he kept in there for when he had company, or well, used to have company. Faer being in the picture had officially destroyed his bachelorhood.

'Aw, come on David. You know I didn't mean it like that.' said Paul with a guilt ridden voice and for a moment, David didn't reply. 'David…?' started Paul, wondering if he had crossed a line with his oldest brother or not.

'I know Paul. I know you don't like it when things get serious for very good reasons. But this is something we can't ignore. So I need you to work with me. Once we get this sorted out, we can go back to partying.'

'….'

'Paul?'

'….'

'Paul, answer me.'

'It's not going to be like last time. Is it?' David and the others paused as Paul voiced his concern. The wild maned vampire didn't often get serious or worried, but when he did, there was always a valid reason behind it and now, Paul's reasoning for wanting everything to get back to normal was because he feared a repeat of three years ago. To be honest, they all feared a repeat of three years ago.

'No Paul.' said David after a minute of silence between the four of them. 'There won't be a repeat of last time.'

'Oh…phew!' Reverting back to his normal hyperactive self, Paul started to hum a random tune and snap his fingers as he made his way to the main cave where Marko was taking care of his birds, so he could wait for the other two. 'I was really starting to worry there bro! Hurry up, I'm hungry!' Chuckling while they shook their heads, David and Dwayne exchanged a look between themselves before Dwayne left David to finish taking care of Faer.

'Give me twenty minutes.'

'Take your time. I'll deal with the clown duo.'

Once Dwayne had left, David turned his attention back to Faer. She was still pretty limp but he could tell that she was conscious if just barely. Sitting upon the bed, he propped her up against his chest and grabbed one of the water bottles that Marko had placed on the nightstand beside the meal he had fetched.

"Here, drink this." he said simply as he held it to her lips and slowly tilted it up. At first, she didn't take it, the water simply rolled down her chin and David had to wipe it off before it caused too much of a mess. "Hey." he tried again, this time slapping her cheek lightly to rouse her a little more. "Faer wake up."

"mmm." she moaned, inhaling deeply as he brought her out of her stupor. Blinking slowly, she looked up at him tiredly.

"I've got some water for you. Drink it." Placing it back to her lips, he began to tilt it once more and thankfully, this time, he saw her throat bob as she swallowed before she raised her hand to take hold of the bottle and started to drink in haste. "No!" he said quickly, pulling it back from her. "You'll make yourself sick and I am not taking care of you again!"

"mm…wha…what do you…call this?" she questioned softly as he placed the bottle back to her lips.

"I call it insurance."

"..for what?" David chuckled, setting the water down upon the nightstand before he grabbed the small bowl of soup and held it in front of them.

"For when I mark you." Immediately, Faer's cheeks went red and David's chuckling increased as he grabbed a spoonful and held it to her lips. "Eat."

"i haven't…decided yet." she replied instead of listening to him.

"So you'll drink?" he questioned firmly. Faer didn't answer, she just turned her head away from him. "If you don't answer, then I'll decide for you and we both know you don't want that." he said as he placed the soup down.

"…you…you're not just going to use me…are you?"

"Hmm?"

"if I…let you mark me. will you…toss me aside, afterwards?"

"Toss you aside? Tch." he scoffed incredulous at her inquiry, watching as she stared at the wall with downcast eyes.

"i wouldn't blame you. it's so easy to find someone…better."

"Better? I don't know what you're talking about Faer."

"someone prettier…skinnier, not so annoying. i'm sure you see dozens on the Boardwalk every…" Grasping her chin, David turned her face quickly before he touched his lips to hers, effectively stopping her tirade of self-loathing. For a minute, he made it forceful, his intent simply to hush her thoughts before he softened the kiss and moved his hand to cup her cheek. When the need for air became prevalent for Faer's sake, he pulled back slowly, allowing his lips to brush hers while he locked his gaze with her shocked one.

"You do annoy me. There is no doubt about that. As for someone skinnier, I'd take your curves any night. And pretty? Do you know how much makeup those bimbos wear? Faer, you tear yourself apart but you didn't think to ask me. I don't think that's very fair, do you?"

"you just want me changed. you'll say whatever you want to achieve that."

"Your words wound me."

"yeah, well the tales Paul and Marko tell are different."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

In the Cave

"Achoo!" rubbing their noses, Paul and Marko looked at each other before they felt a cold chill run up their spines. To say it was creepy was an understatement, because the last time they had felt that, they had both been human.

"Hey Marko, did you feel that?"

"Yeah. What about you Dwayne?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Aw, come on man. A cold chill. You know, they run up your spine."

"Who did you piss off now?"

"Huh?" Looking at each other confused, the two youngest vampires both froze when a very menacing voice filled their heads.

'You've been telling Faer about our exploits!? When I get my hands on the two of you, I'll…!' began to yell David.

"Hey Paul, didn't you want to try out the new ride on the Boardwalk?" asked Marko sheepishly while Paul quickly nodded his head and the two ran for the cave entrance.

"Yeah. The one they opened last year. Been waiting to ride that thing for a long time now. Let's go."

Shaking his head as the sound of their motorcycles grew fainter and fainter, Dwayne just flipped the page of the book in his hand and continued reading.

'Did they run?' questioned David, his voice still semi angry.

'What do you think?'

'I think I'm going to have fun burning Paul's secret stash and Marko's favorite brush.'

'They never learn.'

'No. But they do make things interesting.'

'True. Is Faer asleep?'

'No, she's deciding.'

'Already?'

'Don't worry. I'm as surprised as you.'

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

David's Room

"david?" Looking at the platinum blonde with trepidation as he stopped talking and simply stared at her with an angry look in his eyes, Faer bit her lip and looked away from him, her voice coming out even smaller than what she had been using minutes earlier. "i'm sorry. i opened my mouth when I shouldn't have."

"…"

"david?"

"…"

"i'm sorry. i didn't mean to upset you."

"…"

"i'll drink."

Coming out of his anger, David looked down to see Faer panicking once more. It took him a minute to figure out why. She was guilt ridden, she thought she was to blame for his sudden anger and in trying to backtrack, she was giving him what he wanted.

"i'll drink! i'm sorry." David could see that she was falling back on what she had learned with James in order to protect herself. He had placed her in an intimate situation and the last time she had been in the same situation, she had been at the mercy of her then fiancé. He had to stop her, before she set herself back to when she was living in New York. "david, please…I…"

"No." he said his voice firm which silenced her shaking one instantly. Cupping her chin, he brought her gaze back to his once more. "You're not going to drink. I'm going to mark you and that's final. Do you understand?"

"…"

"Answer me Faer."

"yes david."

"Yes David what?"

"...i understand."

"Good." Lowering his head, he took her lips with his once more, the touch gentle and chaste before he moved away. "You're mine Faer." he said softly before he claimed her lips again. "My girl."

"yes."

"I'm not James. I'm not going to punish you for disobedience or if you make me look like a fool. If you can out do Marko and Paul in that category, then I'll be surprised. Really." At this Faer giggled a bit, before she wiped the small smile that had come to her face off when he grinned at her. "I'm not going to punish you, but you do as I say and you don't run from me anymore."

"ok."

"I'll protect you. The guys will protect you. James will never lay a hand on you, nor will anyone else."

"…" Watching as she inhaled shakily while she tried to turn her now tearful gaze away from him, he stopped her once more.

"Don't look away from me when you're upset. Don't ever, look away from me. My girl doesn't feel shame by her tears. Understand?"

"yes."

"There's a lot to learn Faer. But you'll get it. You just need to understand the first rule and the rest will be a piece of cake. You can even ask Marko and Paul if you want."

"…what…what's the first rule?" Chuckling, David kissed her lips once more.

"Just be yourself. Think you can do that?"

"maybe. …that was corny." David couldn't stop the burst of laughter that left his lips before he stood and set her upon the bed, her strength having recovered enough for her to keep herself upright for a few minutes.

"Now that sounds more like the Faer, I know." Walking over to the dresser that was placed against the far wall, he opened one of the drawers and pulled out a shirt before he returned to her side. "Put this on. It's not good to sleep in your clothes."

"you guys sleep in them all the time."

"We also hang from the ceiling when we sleep. Not beds."

"oh."

"Change."

"k." Taking a minute, Faer removed her clothes and threw them upon the floor before she took the shirt David offered her and pulled it over her head. She had to admit, the clean, cool item did feel nice against her heated skin.

"Under the covers." he ordered next and quietly, she followed his command before he drew the covers over her and sat down beside her. "Let me see your cheek real quick." Since the incident in the alley a few days ago, he hadn't had the chance to stop and look at the wound the Surfer Nazi had given her. He felt horrible that she had gotten hurt, he didn't think the bastard would have struck her, but he did.

"what did you…do to them?" asked Faer hesitantly.

"What do you think we did with them?" he asked bluntly in return as he trailed his fingers over a particularly sore spot and watched as she flinched.

"beat them unconscious?"

"If that helps you sleep at night."

"oh."

"Go to sleep. I'll be back in a bit." Standing, he pushed her down upon the bed and pulled the covers up higher over her, making sure she was settled before he leaned down and gave her a pointed stare. "Do not leave this bed. Otherwise, you'll be sorry."

"yes David."

"You don't have to be formal you know. You're my girl, not my pet."

"ok." Nodding his head that she had satisfied his demands for now, he closed the small gap between them and claimed her lips one more time, greatly enjoying the soft feel of her lips and hoping to ease her feelings of being in a relationship again. He knew there would be fear in her at the thought. James had done a lot of damage that she had been great at hiding until the man had started to appear in Santa Carla. He had his work cut out for him and he was going to take every chance he got to erase James from her mind.

"We won't be long. Go to sleep."

"k."


	22. Faer's Marking

Faer's Marking

After a nightmare Faer needs something to help her relax. Maybe David can help her and get something he's been after for a while now.

Warning: Lemon

Watching as David walked out the open door and down the hall, Faer stared at the spot he had left for a few minutes, her mind going over everything that had just occurred. David and her were now a couple. A couple. He had called her his girl.

Inwardly, this made Faer extremely happy. She was reserved of course about the new aspect to her and David's already hectic relationship. But she knew that out of everything they had been through, no matter what, he made her feel safe. Yeah, they fought and yeah he had threatened her more than once, but she knew that the minute she drank the blood he would back off. David was worried for the future of their large family and Faer didn't blame him one bit for it. If she had been in his shoes, she probably would have done the same.

' _I'm going to explore every part of you until you're withering beneath me. I'm going to bring you to your peak over and over until you're nothing more than a panting mess upon the bed and as soon as I make you cum again, then I'll mark you.'_

Faer shivered as she remembered the words David had whispered into her ear earlier. He was going to touch her. He was going to touch her like he had at the hotel, only this time he wasn't planning on stopping. His eyes were going to be looking her over with something that was more than concern or annoyance. His fingers were going to travel over her and then sink between her legs. And the fangs that had only grazed the skin of her neck before were going to pierce her. He was going to mark her, as part of the territory, as part of the coven…as his.

"But what…" Slapping a hand over her mouth, as she started to voice the fear that was building within her, she quickly shook the thought. She couldn't allow her experiences with James to interfere with David. He was already being more than lenient with her. "Just think about the positive things. Think about everything he's done so far." Nodding her head as she tried to talk herself down from the slight panic she had fallen into, she stared at the ceiling as she tried to relax and think about the vampire that had annoyed, scared and consumed her thoughts. "Think about your relationship, the intimate side. Compare him to James. You can't be afraid of David. Please don't be afraid of David."

David had called her his girl. He had told her to just be herself and that she could embarrass him with no fear of punishment because "Marko and Paul were worse". He had claimed her lips in several sweet caresses and held her close while soothing her distressed state.

It was more than James had ever done. When he had spoken to her, he had always called her "his" or "mine", like she was property instead of his fiancé. The kisses were rough and forced and his embraces were tight, painful traps meant to keep her from escaping him until he was ready to let her go, though he never let her go far.

There was the way David looked at her. It wasn't possessive like James', it was caring and kind in private and concerned and vigilant in public. Not to mention the way he looked at her when she was only clad in her panties. It wasn't with hunger, ok well it was a few times, but it was so much more than that. He took in every detail, every scar, every mark that had ever been dealt to her and he didn't view them with indifference or a job well done like James did, he viewed them with anger and a need to extract vengeance on her behalf.

Everything David had done so far was so much more than she had ever hoped for in a relationship. After all, she had thought James would be the one to take her hand and he had trained her to be something else. Something that she wasn't. So the thought that David was doing everything James had not and that he wasn't expecting her to conform to what he wanted was unbelievable in her mind. And their relationship was only beginning. If this was how a future with him was going to be, then…she wanted to stay. She wanted to stay with David and hold onto the feeling that she mattered, even if it was only to him.

So lost in her thoughts, Faer didn't feel sleep creep up on her. What she thought was a mere blink of her eyes turned into something more frightening when she realized the lights were suddenly out and there was a body beside hers. Immediately, she panicked. While she had woken up next to David several times over the past four months, she still had a hard time realizing that it was him and not James during the moments when her mind was trying to shake sleep away.

'He found me.' she thought with a small whimper that she tried to stifle. She didn't want to wake him up and moving slowly, she edged her way off the bed.

"Where are you going?" came a very groggy voice as a hand reached out and grasped her arm before it pulled her back on the bed and towards them.

"…." Faer couldn't speak. She was so scared at the firm grip on her. Any time James grabbed her like that, he was either going to punish her for making a mistake or he was going to make sure she knew her place beneath him.

Her breath came out panicked and weak as she struggled for air. Her body rigid as she tried to fight the need to struggle. James was always more lenient when she didn't fight him. Vaguely, she heard a voice speak to her but it confused her. It didn't sound like James'. It was softer and concerned. James was never concerned for her unless they were in public and he was trying to keep face.

"You're alright Faer. It's just me. James isn't here." said David softly as he wrapped his arms about her and pulled her against his chest, tucking her head beneath his chin. "You're alright. There's nothing to be afraid of."

"d…david?" she questioned wearily, scared that it wasn't really him. However, the fright subsided a bit when she felt him reach over and the lamp turned on.

"It's me. You're fine." he continued to soothe, while his hand ran along her back trying to calm her shaking.

"i'm sorry. I thought…"

"I know. I'm not mad."

"i'm sorry."

"Don't apologize."

"but I…"

"I understand Faer. I really do. I don't hold your fear against you. So just relax. You're only going to make yourself sick if you keep stressing over him." Leaning back a bit, David grasped Faer's chin and tilted her head up so he could look into her eyes. "Let me worry about James." he said with a firm voice. "We'll keep you safe, so stop worrying."

"…it's not fair." she whispered, looking down. "you shouldn't have to fight my battles."

"I'll fight all of your battles gladly. So don't worry about it."

"but what if…"

"No. We're not going to talk about this anymore right now. James can't touch you and he can't touch me either. So stop worrying over nothing."

"…mm…that's not tru…" Pausing when a pair of lips connected with hers, Faer stared in shock at the now grinning vampire as he pulled away slightly and rested his forehead against hers.

"Guess I'm going to have to take your mind off him, aren't I." said David as he leaned his body over hers and slowly laid her down. His hand moving to the edge of the shirt she wore, lightly teasing the skin that was showing.

"No! I…"

"Don't be afraid." he whispered, taking her lips once more. "Remember when we were in the hotel? You liked what I did then. You'll like it now."

"I…"

"Hush." Moving quickly, he grasped the shirt and pulled it up and over her head, before he made sure her bra followed too. Within seconds, Faer was left in only her panties, her body shaking slightly beneath David's as he leaned over her with hunger beginning to fill his eyes.

"d…da…vid." she stuttered out, her arms rising to cover her chest. However, he didn't allow her to hide. Grasping her wrists, he easily pinned her arms above her head before he leaned down and latched onto one of her breasts. The reaction was immediate as the nipple hardened and Faer gasped, her back arching up against him, while a growl resounded in his throat.

The sound of her heart beating furiously filled his ears. A soft moan leaving her lips as he moved to her other breast and bit the bud before he followed it with a swipe of his tongue to soothe the pain. Slowly, his free hand traveled over her stomach, his fingers tickling her skin lightly causing her to squirm a bit more.

"david…stop." Panting softly, Faer struggled to free her hands. David didn't of course. His attention was too devoted to continuing his perusal of the rising and falling mounds while his free hand trailed along the edge of her panties. Another moan filled the air as he nipped her skin once more and deciding that she was distracted enough, he quickly slipped his hand beneath the waistband of her panties and started to play with the coarse hair there.

"David!" she screeched, jumping beneath him but he continued to ignore her. His lips releasing her breast before he claimed her lips and ripped her panties away. "STOP!"

Pausing at the scared cry, David pulled away and sat up a bit till he was leaning over her. Faer was shaking like a leaf and her eyes had begun to collect tears. Releasing her hands, he watched as they immediately moved to cover herself while she looked away from him, shame appearing in her eyes.

Immediately, David began to grow angered. It was all James' fucking fault. Because of the way he had treated Faer, she couldn't bring herself to trust someone else when it came to intimacy. Because of James, his mate felt humiliation and fear.

Closing his glowing eyes for a moment, David calmed himself down before he moved to lay beside her once more and pulled up the covers over them. The confusion was clear to see in her eyes, but she didn't turn to look at him as he made himself comfortable and wrapped an arm about her waist.

"I'm sorry." he said gently as he placed a kiss upon her cheek. "I didn't think you would be so afraid. Especially not after everything we did in the hotel."

"pain and pills…remember?"

"Still…I didn't think you would be afraid of me."

"not you."

"Hmm?"

"not afraid of you…the action." Feeling something click with her whispered words, David propped himself up on an arm and grasped her chin to turn her face towards him.

"Faer, I do not want you to ever fear that I will force myself upon you. I also do not want you to fear that I will ever hurt you the way he has."

"I know. I trust you." Leaning down, David ran his lips over hers.

"Do you trust me enough to keep going?"

"mmm…I…can't you just mark me?" she whispered shakily.

"Faer, marking hurts. It hurts a lot. That's why we try to hit secluded parties when we feed. The second our fangs pierce skin you feel like someone's stabbing you with a thousand knives. You'll scream if there's nothing to occupy your mind from the pain and euphoria is the best when it comes to that."

"ca..can I have a beer first then?"

"A beer?" questioned David confused as Faer looked away again with shame in her eyes.

"whe…when James wanted…to take me, it always hurt. I tried to tell him no, but he…he would beat me until I said yes. so…I started to drink something hard…that way…"

"You would be out of it. Just like you were out of it at the hotel."

"No!" cried Faer as she turned to him with panic now. "Not at the hotel."

"Hmm? But you just said."

"You never…never went passed my waistline then."

"He never made sure you were ready did he?"

"…no."

"That's why you screamed that morning at the hotel before Max knocked. Because I had reminded you of what James did."

"yes."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was more worried about who was at the door. I thought you were going to kill someone." David couldn't stop the chuckle that came to him then. That was exactly the kind of thing Faer would do. Worry more about someone else than herself. Leaning down, he placed his forehead against hers.

"I'll be honest. That was exactly what was running through my mind when we were interrupted. I was looking forward to being more intimate with you. But knowing what I know now, I am happy Max knocked when he did."

"I'm sorry."

"I don't want you to apologize anymore Faer. You've said it enough to last you an eternity and I don't want you to regret what we're going to have because you feel like James tainted you."

"but he di…"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence." Pausing at the firm tone that greeted her, Faer hesitantly met David's gaze before she looked away once more.

"may I…please have a beer?"

"No."

"please?"

"No Faer." Grasping her wrists, David pulled her up until she was kneeling in front of him, his hands moving her till she straddled his waist, while she tried in vain to get free so she could cover herself. "Stop struggling." he ordered gently as he pulled her towards him till her chest met his and he wrapped her arms about his neck. "There's no need to be shy. I've seen you before, remember? You're beautiful Faer." The deep red blush that covered her cheeks made him pause. "He never told you that?"

"james didn't do a lot of things. everything was for him and him alone. the most gracious comment I ever received from him was that I was passable for his standards. i've never even had a first dance with another male and trust me, I took the classes." Chuckling as he moved his hands down along her sides till he settled them upon her hips, David smirked as he pressed her down a bit, enjoying the sight that followed as her eyes widened a bit and her heartbeat sped up.

"We'll have to fix that then, now won't we? But that will have to wait till later. Right now, there's something far better to do." Leaning forward, he gently kissed her lips before he started to trail down her jaw and to her neck. Lightly, his fangs scraped against her throat and with gentle caresses to her skin, he slowly felt her relax.

"ah…david." she panted softly as he bit at her skin.

"Does that feel good Faer?" he asked, looking at her face as she tried to hide the feelings he was stirring within her. The haze that was starting to cover her eyes as lust began to take over and the slight flush of her skin as she became heated only made him growl as he felt his pants tighten.

"Ah!" Jumping a little, Faer tried to move from his lap, but the grip he still held upon her hip kept her in place and quickly she started to shake as she felt his member stir between her legs.

"Don't be afraid." he whispered. "You're alright. I won't take you fully tonight."

"mmm." Squirming in his grasp, Faer tried to keep her emotions in check. Being touched in this way had never felt so good before, or at least not that she could remember ever being completely coherent and feeling this way. Having David's hands on her felt good. To feel his fangs scrape across her throat and feel his body pressed against hers…it felt good. All of it felt so good and she let her fear slowly subside when he moved down and wrapped his lips about one of her peaks.

"That's it. Just relax." Bucking his hips a bit, he smirked when a soft moan escaped her lips and her head fell back. "You like that?" he questioned with a grin as he pulled back and looked into her unfocused eyes, one of his hands gently cupping her cheek.

"mm…yes." she panted before he grasped her hips with both of his hands and held her still.

"Then you'll like this."

"Ah!" Crying out as David pulled her down so he could grind himself against her, Faer collapsed against his chest while he merely chuckled and continued the motion. Quickly, Faer felt her body start to tense as something within her grew tighter and tighter. "Mmmm…" she moaned, biting her lip to keep the embarrassing noise from escaping.

"Let me hear you. Open your mouth." whispered David into her ear as he ground particularly hard against her before he was rewarded with what he desired. Mouth open in a pant, Faer threw her head back and cried out as she felt that coil burst, her hips moving of their own volition as they sought to continue the pleasure that was racking her body. David just grinned before he moved one of his hands up to cup her head and pull it to the side so he could sink his fangs in.

"Oh!" she moaned as her hips bucked forward once more then stopped as David drove his nails into the skin of her hip and held her down against him when he felt his own release hit him.

It was ecstasy. Pure ecstasy as David held her still while he shuddered with his release and drank deeply from her. Every mouthful of blood was divine and every beat of her heart rang loud and clear in his head. Already, he could feel the connection between them beginning to form. His vampiric blood willing her own to become more potent, more compelling to his senses.

Pulling back, he took a deep breath of air, a small shudder coming over him as the scent of their releases together filled his senses. It was divine and looking at the small trickle of blood that fell down her neck and over her breast only added to the desire that was battling to take over him.

"david." whispered Faer quietly as she opened her tired eyes and stared at him. A small thread of fear started to appear as she saw her blood smearing his mouth, but it was quickly driven away when she met his golden gaze examining her with care.

"You're okay." he told her gently. Cupping the back of her head, he easily switched their positions and lay her beneath him while he rested between her legs. "How do you feel?"

"I…I don't know. I feel tired…but good?"

"Good?" he questioned amused.

"my neck hurts…and I'm throbbing…down there," she said with a blush starting to stain her cheeks again. "but…I feel…good." Chuckling, David leaned down and captured her lips for a moment before he moved to her neck and started to lick up the fallen blood. A small sigh escaped Faer's lips as she turned her head to give him more access, her eyes closing in bliss as he followed the trail down till he took her peak in his mouth and suckled gently. "don't…" she whispered softly, her hands coming up to run lightly through his hair. "don't stop."

'So this is Faer when she's treated right.' thought David as he watched her pant softly beneath him. Trailing his hands down her sides, he lightly caressed her skin before he released the hardened bud in his mouth and kissed his way down her body.

Faer's pants grew louder the closer to her core he came, his eyes always watching to see if she would break the calm he had lulled her into. Kissing her mound, he was pleased when she let out a breathy moan and arched her back, her hands moving to cover her mouth subconsciously as she tried to shy away from voicing her pleasure.

"Don't hide." he said as he moved her legs over his shoulders. "Don't ever hide from me."

"David!" cried Faer as he ran his tongue over her jewel. The pleasure was immense and the sensation was unlike anything she had ever felt before. Again and again, he continued to torture her, his hands holding her down as she started to wither and shake with every swipe of his tongue. "Pl…please….I…I…" she struggled to say as she felt that coil within her begin to tighten again.

"Cum for me Faer." he whispered, his voice echoing in her ears with a hypnotic tone to it. "Cum for me." Running his tongue over her jewel once more, he grinned with lust in his eyes as her back arched heavily and her core began to pulse. "So good." he mumbled, his tongue moving to taste the elixir he had brought forth.

"david." whispered Faer as she looked down at him with a tired gaze. The sight of him kissing her mound as he met her eyes made Faer blush deeply before she tried to close her legs. "no…"

"Stop moving." he said firmly, grabbing ahold of her hips so he could keep her still. "I'm not done tasting you."

"david please. don't."

"You taste so good Faer. Divine." Flicking his tongue against her jewel as he spoke, David grinned when she threw her head back and bucked her hips against his mouth.

"stop."

"You say that, but your body is telling me different."

"please." Sighing, he placed a kiss to her thigh before he moved back up her body and cupped her cheek.

"You look beautiful." he purred against her lips as her blush deepened and she moved to hide her head in his neck. Chuckling, he kissed her forehead before he moved off of her and walked over to the dresser. His shorts were beginning to stick to him and he knew Faer would want something clean to wear considering the first shirt had been wet with sweat from her nightmare.

Changing quickly, he grabbed the clean shirt and moved back to the bed where Faer lay almost asleep. The blood loss and orgasms had pulled at her strength and in the end he propped her up before dressing her in the shirt. Laying her down once more, he moved to shut off the light before he crawled in beside her and pulled up the covers over them. His arm moving to wrap about her waist as he pulled her close while sleep claimed her fully.

'At least I can feel her now.' he thought tiredly as the sun started to pull at him once again. 'Maybe I'll keep her here for tonight to make sure she recovers well. We can worry about James later.' Nodding his head that that was a good plan, he closed his eyes and let sleep take him.


	23. To Tell The Truth Or Lie

**To Tell The Truth Or Lie**

After everything that has been happening, David wants to have a talk with Faer. The only problem though is that he's pretty sure she'll lie to him.

Hey guys, thank you so much for hanging in there. I know it's been a while but so many things have been going on that it's been quite difficult to sit down and concentrate on writing (mainly a long bout of unemployment). Anyways, I hope you guys like this chapter, I made it sixteen pages long so hopefully that will help for a while. I hope the next chapter won't be long in coming but it will probably be a while before I can post another chapter. Just know, I haven't given up on any of them.

Please comment if you guys liked the chapter and leave kudos as always! Thanks and love you guys for your support!

Dulinneth

"Faer." Inhaling deeply as she started to wake, Faer turned away from the soft voice that was trying to get her up. "Faer, you need to get up. You have to eat something."

"tired." she mumbled, trying to push herself deeper into the bed's comfort. The voice chuckled before they leaned down and kissed her neck.

"Did I tire you out that much?"

"go away."

"No. Time to get up." Feeling a pair of arms wrap about her, Faer sighed as she was pulled up to a firm chest. "Wake up."

"Just a little longer."

"If you don't wake up, I'll throw you in the ocean and fish you out."

"I'M UP!" Looking at David slightly panicked, Faer frowned as he returned her stare with a cheshire grin.

"Sleep well?" he asked, knowing the answer already.

For a moment, Faer looked at him completely confused. But when he reached down and slipped his hand between her legs, she gasped and blushed fiercely. Immediately, she moved to push him away, but he held her still as his fingers moved to her folds and started to coat themselves in the wetness he had brought forth from her earlier.

"David…don't…I…" She struggled to find her words as his fingers started to play, an ache between her legs was quickly building and she could tell that he was enjoying her squirming in his arms.

"Come on Faer. Let me make you feel good." he whispered as he moved to kiss her neck again. "You looked delicious last night. I want to see you that way again." The redness of Faer's cheeks increased as he teased her, his breath tickling her ear as he told her how she panted and moaned for his touch earlier.

"David please. You marked me. No more." she said, finally managing to find her voice again. Frowning, he slowly withdrew his hand before he pulled her flushed to his chest once more, her head resting against his shoulder.

He knew he had been pushing her limits, but he wanted to see if after last night, she would allow him a little more leeway. It appeared not, but she was still getting used to the idea of someone else touching her besides James. He would be patient and try not to push her too much at the moment. Besides, he had to remark her before they went to bed in the morning anyway so he would get what he wanted soon enough.

"Are we going to the Boardwalk tonight?" she asked hesitantly while she moved so she could look at him.

"The others are already there. Marko is grabbing you food and when he returns, I'll have to leave for a while."

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Eat everything he gives you and then take a shower. You can hang out in the cave after that but when I come back, we are going to talk."

"About what?"

"I'm not telling you."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to give you the chance to come up with a story."

"Oh." Leaning her head against his shoulder once more, they fell into a peaceful quiet for a few moments before she lifted her head again and looked at him cautiously. "Can…can I go back to my room?"

"No." he said firmly, making sure he held her gaze. "You will not go back in there until I check it out."

"But…"

"I said no Faer! We don't know the stability of the hotel. The only reason it could have stayed up as long as it has is because no one's been in there since the quake."

"then where…?"

"If you want privacy then come in here. The guys can't enter unless I allow them. The same goes for their rooms. Everyone has their own spot and not even I can go in their rooms without their permission."

"oh." David could see that she was disappointed by his words, but he really didn't care. The last thing he wanted to happen was for the hotel to come down with her in it. She was his mate. He wasn't about to lose her from something he could have prevented easily and until he had a chance to check it out for himself and maybe have Max's thoughts as well, as much as he was loathed to ask, he didn't want her in there.

"I'll look at it soon. Once I know it's safe, then we'll see about cleaning up your room."

"Promise?" she asked a bit childishly. If he had to be honest, David couldn't really blame her. From what she had told him, privacy was something she hadn't really gotten much of until she came to Santa Carla. Leaning his forehead against hers he pushed a bit of trust through the blood connection he had formed with her during her marking.

"I promise."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Hey Marko?"

"Yeah?" Walking over to the bathroom door, Marko paused when he saw that Faer had cracked the door a bit, but refused to step in front of it.

"uh…there's…I can't find anything…to wash with." she said with slight embarrassment filling her voice. It took him a minute to realize what she meant, but when he did, he paused for a moment before he scratched the back of his head.

"Oh yeah. I'm so used to not worrying about others that I didn't think to grab anything for you." he replied sheepishly. "You can thank Paul for that. Give me a minute and I'll find something."

"Thank you." Watching as she closed the door once more, Marko made his way to his room and over to the bookshelf he kept his more personal items on. Because of Paul, he and the others kept their bathing items in their rooms and only brought them out when they had to shower. They had found that if they didn't, then the wild maned blonde had a habit of using their items simply because he was too lazy to go grab his own supplies. The only one out of the four of them who really paid attention to grabbing more than for just them was Dwayne and that was because Laddie stayed with him when he was allowed over.

"I know I had some somewhere." he said to himself as he searched through the highly overcrowded shelves. He had had a girlfriend about a year ago and for a week, she had stayed with him until he got tired of her and drank her dry. After that, he had mostly discarded her things but some, like her bathing items, he had kept just in case. "Where…aha!" Knocking over several items as he reached for the shampoo, conditioner and body wash he had stashed at the back of his top shelf, he quickly made his way back to the bathroom and knocked on the door. "I'm back."

Opening the door a bit farther than she had a minute ago, Faer looked through the crack questioningly. "Where did you…?"

"I'd tell you, but I don't think you'd like the answer." he said cryptically. Faer eyed the items a bit wearily after that, but she accepted them none the less and thanked him. "We'll have to grab you some things tomorrow. David decided to let the old woman you had given your bag too, keep it." As he spoke, his voice quickly died as he remembered the night she had tried to take her life. It kind of hurt to be honest. Knowing that she thought they'd be better off without her.

It wasn't often that the boys found people who actually cared about them. Heck, it was pretty freaking rare. Star had cared once, when she had first joined them. Laddie of course cared because Dwayne was pretty much his adopted father. Lucy, he was sure only cared because she was their "mother" and Max, while he remained aloof and stern, Marko was sure he cared about them since it was his blood that crawled through their veins. Other than that, not many people really cared about their welfare and to see that someone not even blooded into the family yet, well not blooded through Max's blood anyway, was willing to throw their life away for their safety, said a whole lot in his book.

"She needed it more than I did." said Faer with a small smile. The fact that she was trying to downplay what had happened made Marko's jaw tighten as he grit his teeth with sudden anger.

"Don't try to make light of what you did." he replied with a firm voice as he eyed her a bit angrily through the crack in the door. "I don't care how much you think you're a burden on us, you don't try to kill yourself."

"…" Faer didn't say anything as she looked down before she tried to close the door, her smile gone. However, Marko's foot in the doorway caused her to stop.

"Look at me." he ordered. Slowly, Faer met his gaze and instantly she could see why Star and Michael stayed away from him. He was terrifying when he got serious.

Sensing her sudden fear of him, Marko sighed and calmed his ire a bit. He hadn't meant to scare her, but her making fun of what she had tried to do hadn't helped. Removing his foot from the doorway, he turned and headed towards his birds.

"Take your shower. When you're done come sit on the couch. I want you to finish your sandwich." The tone of his voice left no room for argument and feeling suddenly quite small in his presence, she merely nodded her head and closed the door. Up until that moment, Marko had never made her feel so…so melancholy around him before. Only David had done that.

Frowning, she tried to ignore the guilt that was beginning to build within her. She needed to shower. She smelled horribly and she didn't want to be interrupted if David came back before she was done. Even more, she didn't want Marko to become more upset with her than he already was. Apart from Sam, Marko was her second favorite, not including David. He had been the one to settle her confusion when it came to them. He had been the one to treat her kindly first. Marko felt like a brother to her and she didn't want to push him away.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Finish your sandwich." said Marko sternly as he put his birds in their cage. Walking over to the couches, Faer quietly sat down and took the styrofoam box that still contained her half eaten meal in it. She really didn't have any room in her stomach to eat more, but Marko was already upset with her and she didn't want to push him any further.

The sandwich was good. A classic turkey and cheddar sandwich with chips on the side. It wasn't much, but then again, her stomach wasn't exactly in the best of shape at the moment. A few bites into what was left was all she could take before her stomach began to protest its fullness and she put the remaining down.

"I said finish it." ordered Marko as he moved to stand beside her.

"i can't." she said quietly with a small shake of her head.

"You can and you will. If you're not going to care about your wellbeing then I will." Looking up at him in surprise, Faer saw that he was indeed serious. Which if she was being honest, surprised her.

According to Star, Marko didn't care about others outside of the guys. He wasn't even too big on Laddie and the boy had been there before Star or the Emersons had ever appeared. Up until now, Faer had always assumed that Marko was just trying to fulfill some role he had to play when it came to new members of the family since he looked to be one of the least threatening. Never until now, had she ever thought that he was doing it because he actually cared about her.

"Faer! Faer!" Snapping out of her thoughts, Faer looked at the cherubic vampire as he glared at her from his now kneeled position before her. The look in his eyes was both angry and concerned and she quickly felt the guilt within her grow. "Are you even paying attention to me?! Do you care at all?! Faer, liste….!"

Pausing when Faer threw her arms about his neck and buried her face into his chest, Marko stared at the quietly shaking woman with surprise. He had expected Faer to do many things, heck he even expected her to try to slap him if he was being honest, but for her to hug him…? He really hadn't been expecting that.

"…I'm sorry." she whispered shakily. "I'm sorry Marko."

Sighing, the cherubic vampire wrapped his arms about the woman and slowly moved so he was sitting upon the couch with her in his lap. To say he was uncomfortable was an understatement. The last time Faer had been in his lap, she had been as high as a kite. This time, she was completely sober and in need of comfort.

"I'm sorry." she said again.

"Don't be so idiotic next time. You can come to us you know."

"I don't want you guys to get hurt because of me."

"We won't get hurt. You should know that. We're vampires, he's a human. He could never touch us."

"Yeah, because what happened two and a half years ago was just a fluke in the universe's grand design." Chuckling at the semi sarcastic and sad tone that met his ears, Marko just relaxed and patted her back reassuringly.

"That's exactly what happened. So stop worrying little sis. It's time to just chill and have fun. We'll take care of James. So relax. Pet a pigeon." At this, Faer giggled slightly while she began to calm in Marko's hold.

"Marko?"

"Hmm?"

"You don't like many people do you?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Cause I never see you really get close to any of the others apart from Paul."

"I'm just not a big people person."

"Is that why you're always biting your thumb in public?"

"Hmm? No. I bite my thumb in public because a lot of the people I see on the Boardwalk disgust me. When I find it difficult to hide my disgust then I bite my thumb out of habit. That way I'm always grinning."

"Oh….Marko?"

"Yeah?"

"Why don't I…disgust you?"

"Hmm?!" Sitting up, Marko looked down at the woman in his lap. Faer was staring at him with an inquisitive look that said she had been pondering this question for a while now and he quickly found his resolve to try to change the subject disappearing. He wasn't sure he really wanted to get this deep with her just yet, but that look...

"Marko?" Coming out of his thoughts, Marko sighed again before he relaxed back into the cushions of the couch once more. "I'm sorry."

"I thought David told you to stop apologizing?"

"He did."

"Then why are you?"

"Because I feel like I crossed a line with you that you didn't want crossed." she said after a moment had passed between them. "Even more, David doesn't control what I say. Besides, I think he meant I shouldn't apologize when I'm thinking about James and how James' actions are affecting my ability to trust him more."

"Ah. Then I guess I should tell you that you didn't cross a line a minute ago. Earlier, yes, because you were making a joke about your suicide attempt. But now, not really."

"Then why do you seem so uncomfortable?"

"Because your question can easily lead to a topic I'd rather not get into."

"oh."

"But since you asked, I'll give you an answer. Just don't follow it with anything else."

"ok."

"You don't disgust me because you don't take what you have for granted. You grew up "spoiled" with parents that brought out the best in you, though not in the best of ways. You don't whine about the way things are, apart from wanting James to go away, or that you deserve this or that. You just…accept it and keep moving, even if it's in the wrong direction."

"Like away from you guys?"

"Yeah. Like away from us when you were on the cliff."

"sorry."

"Don't apologize. James is wreaking havoc on you. Once we get rid of him, then it'll be nothing but good times from then on."

"mm." Calming down, the two stared at nothing for a few minutes. "Marko?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I pet the pigeons?"

"Yeah."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Don't turn your head."

"sorry."

"What did I tell you about saying sorry?" Jumping from her spot on the fountain, Faer turned to see David standing in the entrance to the cave. He was holding a dark bag in one hand while the other threw a cigarette bud onto the nearest trash pile. "Did she eat?" he questioned Marko as he jumped down into the cave and strolled over to them. His eyes taking in Faer's appearance now that she was clean of all the dust from her adventure.

"She ate most of it, but her stomach has shrunk from all the stress."

"Here." Reaching into his pocket, David handed a few bills over before he moved towards Faer and held his hand out for her to take. "Go get some things she can snack on during the day."

"Sure."

"Faer, you and I are going to go have a little talk."

"k." Placing her hand in his, Faer watched as Marko disappeared, David's hand holding onto hers firmly when he noticed her eyes follow the cherubic vampire.

"Wishing Marko was still here?" he asked with a small growl. He didn't like the fact that Marko seemed to have a much easier time in gaining her trust than him. Then again, Marko had been the one to go after her every time they got into an argument and she ended up running off.

"No." she replied quickly, looking at him as he moved to wrap his arm about her waist. "He's just easy to talk too."

"If you had met him right after he turned, you wouldn't be saying that. He killed every human that got near him and didn't want to talk to any of us. He only started to come out of his shell when Paul joined us."

"Why?"

"Because Paul was always getting so high, he never paid any attention to Marko's threats. Got some pretty good beatings for it too."

"Oh." Allowing David to lead her through the dark hallway he had flown them up to, Faer felt a bit of trepidation begin to fill her. She had been thinking about what it was David wanted to talk about, and so far, all of her possible answers were ones she didn't want to get into.

"Sit down." he said as he took her over to the bed before he moved to turn on the lamps. With a small grin, he watched as she reluctantly did so, her fingers worrying the hem of her shirt as she waited nervously for what he was going to say. "Worried?"

"no."

"Then why are you fidgeting?"

"I'm not!" she answered quickly.

"You're lying and it's not even a good one when the evidence to the contrary is right before me."

"I…" Pausing, Faer watched as David walked up to her before he grasped her chin and made her look him in the eye.

"If you want more proof, then it's because I can feel it. It's one of the nice benefits of marking someone. It comes with a built in lie detector so we can figure out when possible newbies might turn on us. Of course, its other benefits are pretty good too. It's why Marko and Paul don't generally get away with a whole lot when they cause trouble." Looking her over, David could see her worry increase. He had had a feeling when he had decided that they were going to have a conversation earlier that she would try to lie to him. He just hoped that because he gave her so little time and no idea what the topic was going to be that she wouldn't try when he finally began to ask her questions. Not that she could get away with doing so of course. Hopefully since he had told her that he could tell her lies from her truths, then that would deter her as well as his other plan for the night.

"what…did you want to talk about?" she asked, trying to look away from him.

"Hmm? Well, I wanted to discuss recent events, but I had the feeling that you would try to lie to me. So before we did so, I had to grab a few things."

"what do you mean?"

"We're going to play a game Faer. I'm going to ask you a question and you're going to answer. For each question, you'll have two options to pick from that will relate to me renewing the mark tonight. Depending on if you answer me truthfully or if you lie to me, will decide which of the two options you receive. So in the end, it's all up to you. You decide how much fun I get to have tonight."

"I don't…"

"That is not an option Faer. We are going to have this session and that is final. Do you understand?" Biting her trembling lip, Faer reluctantly nodded her head before David released her and moved over to the set of chairs in the corner. With a few tugs, he removed his signature leather gloves before he pulled off his coat and sat down so he could do the same to his boots, all the while knowing that Faer was watching him do so with an increasing heartbeat as she began to panic. "Come here." he said calmly once he returned to the bed and sat down against the headboard.

When she didn't move, he reached out and grasped her wrist, gently pulling her until she was straddling his lap. She fought him of course, the thought of what her options would be when it came to them being intimate made her greatly uncomfortable.

"Can't we just do it the way we did last night?" she asked hesitantly.

"For the most part. But like I said, that depends on if you answer me truthfully."

"I will."

"I hope so. Though I'll be honest," he began, his voice a purr as he ran his lips over her neck. "Some of the consequences I'm hoping to enjoy trying out on you soon."

"Trying?" she asked with a slight break of her voice.

"Or seeing. Doesn't really matter to me. I'm sure I'll get a few of those options tonight."

"But I'm not…!"

"We'll see." Kissing her neck, he ran his hand through her hair before he moved her to the side and stood. "Now, I'm going to be nice and give you a free option. I can either show you your options before you answer or I can make it a surprise. Though I have the feeling that if I make it a surprise, you won't be very happy by the end of it."

"I…I want to see."

"Figured you would. So give me one minute to grab the bag and we'll start."

"k." Watching as he walked back over to the table, Faer eyed the dark bag wearily. If David was having this much fun then the options he had for her were going to be things she really didn't want to see.

"Alright, time to have some fun. The first, you'll do immediately. The rest can wait till later."

"The first?"

"Yup. That way you understand I'm serious."

"What…what are my options?"

"If you tell the truth, then you can keep your clothes on. If you lie, then I'm going to have a very good sight to enjoy." David had to stop the chuckle that crawled up his throat. Faer's cheeks were bright red and she refused to look at him, her hands moving to cover herself even though she was still fully clothed. "Worried?"

"just get it over with."

"Why did you run from us?" Looking up in surprise by both the question and the serious tone that it was asked in, Faer stared at David for a moment before she looked away. "If you don't answer within a minute then I'll consider it a lie."

"I…I don't know."

"That's not an answer. Why did you run from us?"

"I don't know!"

"Take them off."

"David please!"

"You knew the rules and you knew the consequences. Clothes off, now!" Grasping her arm, David pulled her towards him before he pulled her shirt over her head and then took off her pants. "I'll give you one more chance. If you want to keep your underwear on, then you'll answer me. Why did you run from us?"

"I wanted to get away!" Looking away from David, Faer grabbed the sheets and pulled them up trying to cover herself. "You denied me my chance to escape everything so when I found the entrance, I decided to try getting away again. Only on a lesser scale this time. I knew you guys would find me, I never had a doubt about that. But I wanted time to think and hopefully not be interrupted too soon." Frowning heavily, David ran his hand over his face. He had had a feeling that her suicide attempt was partially to blame. He just wished she would have come to him instead of running off.

"You can keep your underwear on. For now." he said while reaching into the bag. "As for the next question though, this will pertain to what you will wear afterwards."

"wear?"

"If you tell the truth, I'll give you one of my shirts to wear."

"and if I don't?" Blushing even harder at what he pulled from the bag, Faer turned her head quickly while David finally released the chuckle he had been withholding earlier.

"Then you get to wear this lovely little blue nighty I picked out for you."

"it's see-through." she whispered warily.

"That's the point of lace. Extravagant and delicate but you get to see all the beauty lying beneath it."

"don't…don't lie." Immediately, David had her hair in his hand before he tilted her head back and placed a kiss to her lips.

"What did I tell you about me lying when it came to you?"

"that you would only ever speak the truth."

"Then accept my words instead of doubting them."

"Yes David."

"Shall we continue then?" Nodding her head, Faer leaned forward until she was resting against David's shoulder. She didn't like the questioning but she knew she had brought it upon herself to some degree. "Why didn't you come out when you heard we were worried?"

"You were going to make me drink." The answer was simple and David had to admit that yes, at the time that was his goal once he got his hands on her. He had been so pissed when she had disappeared, especially after the events that had occurred beforehand.

"This is part of the second question, other than me making you drink, why else did you not come out?"

"uh…you…I was scared."

"Scared?"

"You had shoved your hand thru the floor and were yelling."

"And you were afraid of what else I might do to you besides make you drink, right?"

"yeah."

"Ah." Throwing the nighty across the room, David felt a bit of anger well within him. Not at Faer, but at James and more importantly himself. His temper had always been an issue, there was no question about that. But now that he had Faer and her background to deal with, he had to remember that letting himself get angry only pushed his mate away from him and terrified her. "You know I would never hit you. Apart from maybe yelling at you once in a while, I would never do anything to physically hurt you."

"I know. It's just hard sometimes. When voices start to rise, I just run. I don't even realize it."

"Instinct."

"yeah." Pulling her closer to him, David just let the two of them sit there in silence for a moment. He knew Faer appreciated it, as it gave her time to calm down and shake the memories he had stirred unintentionally. "I'm ready."

"I might need a minute to rethink some of my options for you."

"Just do it. I know you won't make it too bad." Now this made David smile slightly. At least she was showing some form of trust in him.

"Alright. This set goes with the last one. Truth, you get to wear panties to bed. Lie, and you don't."

"k."

"How did you find the entrance?"

"…a cat." The sudden roar of laughter made Faer jump. She had expected a lot of reactions, but she wasn't expecting this. "It's true!"

"Oh I know it is! How do you think we found the entrance?"

"You saw it too?"

"We thought it was Marko's! Big surprise when he said it wasn't and it disappeared behind the fridge!" Laughing heartily, the two enjoyed the small bit of peace before they calmed down. "So I take it that you explored the rest of the cave?"

"Yes."

"What did you think?"

"I am not going to be your maid!"

"Wouldn't dream of asking you that."

"Good. So…"

"You can wear panties to bed."

"Phew."

"That worried?"

"A little."

"Then you'll like the next set. Truth, I'll mark you on the bed. Lie, I'll mark you in the bath."

"But…the bath here…isn't…"

"It's not too late to check into a hotel."

"oh."

"Ready?" Nodding her head, Faer waited patiently for the next question. So far they hadn't been too bad. "Why are you so afraid of James?" If Faer hadn't known better, she could have sworn that someone had punched her in the stomach. Talking about James was the last topic she wanted to discuss. "Faer?"

"Can…can we talk about something else?"

"No. I want to know, why are you so afraid of James?"

"…"

"Is it really that hard a question?"

"I don't want to talk about him."

"I won't say I'll deviate from the subject, but if I give you another freebie will you answer my next question?"

"Yes."

"Done, we'll stay here then. As for the next set, that's where I'm going to have some fun."

"What kind of fun?"

"Remember last night when you told me to stop?" The blush that immediately covered Faer's cheeks told him that yes she remembered clearly. "Well, I didn't get to enjoy myself. So if you lie to me, I get to have some fun. You tell the truth, then I don't."

"but it's…it's dirty."

"What about it is dirty? Hmm? The fact that I'm using my mouth down south or the fact that you find you actually enjoy it?"

"…"

"Did James make you do it for him?"

"once."

"Once?"

"I…I didn't like it. So I…"

"You bit him?!" Watching as Faer slowly nodded her head, David quickly threw his own back and laughed uproariously for the second time that night. The image of the poor son a bitch clutching his abused dick was too amusing. If only he really knew what James looked like. They had tried to get Grandpa to tell them, but he hadn't paid too much attention to the man when he had met him apart from getting him to leave. A small whimper though drew him out of his humor and looking down at the woman still held close to him, he frowned. "He beat you good for it, didn't he?"

"Fractured my jaw." Using a finger to tilt her head up, David slowly ran his thumb over her cheek.

"I'm going to make it clear right now. If you ever use your mouth on me, it'll be because you decided you wanted to give it a try, not because I forced you. And don't think that because I use my mouth on you that that means you have to repay the favor. I'll do it because I decided to with no thought of reciprocation. Understood?"

"…"

"Faer?"

"Yes David."

"Good. Ready for the question?"

"Yes."

"What does James look like? And before you start, I told you I might not deviate from the subject. You agreed to answer my question."

"Why do you have to ask about him?!"

"Because I'm going to kill him. Because running from him, even a mere thought of him, isn't going to help you. You need to speak about him and not fear that something bad is going to happen. So tell me. What does James look like?" It was silent for a moment as Faer thought about whether or not to lie to him. She didn't like the thought of giving David a mental picture of her ex, mainly because she had the feeling he would go hunting for him the first chance he got instead of thinking things through. "I'm waiting Faer."

"He's short!" she blurted out quickly. "He short and big, but he's strong."

"Short and big?"

"He has money remember? He doesn't exactly have to do a lot of manual labor."

"Ah. Anything else?"

"He…he has blonde hair, also short and brown eyes. I…I don't think he has any special features. I wasn't allowed to really look him in the face unless he told me so."

'Well that explains why her head is always down.' thought David with a bit of exasperation before he shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. "I had hoped that you would tell me the truth for this one Faer." he began. "Even at the cost of my enjoyment, I had really hoped you would tell me what James looks like. But I was wrong. So because of that, the final question I wanted to ask you is going to change and so are the consequences."

"why?"

"Because I want you to tell me the truth! And if I have to make the consequences so outrageous in your eyes to get you to do that, then I'm going to!" Reaching for the bag again, David picked it up and pulled out the largest item in there. Immediately, Faer's face went white once more and she stood, putting some distance between herself and him. "If you don't tell me the truth for the next question, then I'm going to use this on you."

"what happens if I do?" she asked with a quivering voice.

"Then I'll use my fingers. But lie to me though and I'll use this toy."

"I don't want either!"

"That's not an option." Watching as Faer took more steps away from him, David stood, prepared to go after her. "You won't get out of the hall if you try to run. The floor is a fifteen foot drop from the entrance."

"I don't want…"

"Then you should have told me the truth." Walking towards her as he spoke, David inwardly sighed in relief when she didn't move away from him.

"please?" she whispered once he raised his hands to take hold of her shoulders.

"Why won't you trust us?" he asked quietly. The silence was deafening as Faer stared at him in surprise. Why wouldn't she trust them?

"I do."

"Then why did you try to kill yourself? Why did you run away from us? Why won't you tell me what James looks like? Faer, if you trusted us then you wouldn't try these things or keep them secret."

"I don't want you to get hurt." she said, her voice breaking slightly before she raised her hand to stop him from interrupting. "I don't care that you and the guys are vampires. I care that you all think you're invincible. You're not! Marko told me what happened two and a half years ago. I don't want that to happen again. Just because James is human doesn't mean you can underestimate him! He's cunning! He's smart! He'll do what he has to to get his way! You can't just go after him! You can't!"

"Faer." Pulling her to his chest, David looked down at the shaking woman. Was she really that afraid of losing them? "You don't have to be afraid of losing us."

"But you'll go after him the first chance you get!"

"No." Watching as she met his gaze, David leaned down until his forehead touched hers. "I won't go after him the first chance I get. We'll think and plan and we'll do this the smart way. We'll get rid of James and you won't lose us."

"I don't believe you."

"Then trust me to keep my word."

"…ok."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Pulling a shirt over Faer's head, David gently lay her down before he pulled the covers over her. He had enjoyed himself immensely while renewing the mark. But what made everything better was the fact that so had she. The second his fangs had entered her neck, Faer went completely limp and her loud moans had died down to whimpers that he soothed away with kisses to her lips and forehead. A moment later she was out and the amount of pride he felt within him was immense.

"David." Looking up from the sleeping figure, David eyed Max with a bit of disdain. The only time the old bat came to the cave was so he could yell at them for something.

"Shouldn't you be at home with your pack?"

"I should. But I wanted to check in on Faer and see how she was doing."

"She's fine."

"I can see that. Even more, I can feel the connection you two share through you. How did you get her to agree to a mark?"

"I gave her an ultimatum. She chose the mark."

"As much as I disapprove, I'm not going to berate you for it. I can already see the positive effects it's having on your relationship with her and for that I am glad."

"Well now that you've seen her, you can leave. Word of warning to you though, you might want to hurry. The sun is about to come up."

"Actually David," began Max as he took off his glasses and placed them in his coat pocket. "I heard Marko and Paul talking about a recent discovery and I'm rather keen to see it. So I've decided to spend the day here."

"Joy." Holding in a growl, David pulled his boots on. Max spending the day with them was the last thing he wanted but if it meant that he could get Faer's desire to claim her room once more out of the way sooner than planned, then he would accept it. Besides, having someplace private with an actual door would come in handy and it looked like the room Faer had picked was actually an apartment of sorts.

"Ready?"

"Yeah, let's go." Leading the way through the small hallway, David and Max soon found themselves in the kitchen.

"I do hope you boys plan to do some cleaning in the future."

"We'll get right on that."

"Don't be sarcastic David. This is no place for a lady to stay, let alone Laddie when Dwayne has him."

"This part may not, but maybe this area will." Pulling the fridge away from the wall, David opened the hidden door. "After you." he said, watching as Max walked passed him and into the small room that led to the rest of the hotel.

"Well this is a surprise."

"Not as much as this." Pushing open the second door, David smirked when Max's jaw dropped. "Welcome to Hudson's Bluff."


End file.
